Department for Education

Nurses: Training

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 4.163-4.166 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC 1183, published on 15 March 2023, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of that announcement on student nurses dependant children.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 4.163-4.166 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC 1183, published on 15 March 2023, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of support for childcare costs on apprentices with dependant children.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 4.163-4.166 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC 1183, published on 15 March 2023, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of support for childcare costs on medical students with dependant children.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 4.163-4.166 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC 1183, published on 15 March 2023, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of support for childcare costs on students studying for a PGCE with dependant children.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on including postgraduate researchers in the proposed expansion of government childcare subsidies.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to expand the eligibility criteria of the expansion of government childcare subsidies to postgraduate researchers.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact exclusion of postgraduate researchers from the extension to government childcare subsidies announced in the Spring Budget 2023 on (a) access to higher education, (b) participation in higher education and (c) economic growth.

Claire Coutinho: In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.The announcement included the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer, through which eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school. The key objective of this measure is to support parental participation in the labour market, which is why the offer is conditional on work.All apprentices and students, including postgraduate researchers, who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage, and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, will be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.The government is not currently planning to extend the income criteria for 30 hours free childcare. The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare.For example, support available to full-time students includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. These schemes are available for full-time students with dependent children.For additional financial support, since September 2020, all eligible full-time nursing, midwifery, paramedic, and other allied health profession students can receive a non-repayable training grant through the NHS Learning Support Fund of £5,000 per academic year. Eligible full-time students with child dependants can also access a further £2,000 per academic year. Eligible students studying part-time will receive a pro-rated amount of support, depending on their intensity of study compared to a full-time course.The government introduced new support packages for students starting postgraduate master’s degree courses from the 2016/17 academic year onwards and postgraduate doctoral degree courses from 2018/19 onwards. These loans are not based on income and are intended as a contribution to the cost of study. They can be used by students according to their personal circumstances to cover the costs of fees and living costs, including childcare. The new support packages have provided a significant uplift in support for postgraduate students while ensuring the student support system remains financially sustainable.Students studying on postgraduate courses can apply for loans towards their course fees and living costs, up to £11,836 in 2022/23 for new students undertaking postgraduate master’s degree courses and up to £27,892 in 2022/23 for new students undertaking postgraduate doctoral degree courses.Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Further Education: Special Educational Needs

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the commitments in the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan to review her Department's (a) definitions and (b) management of specialist further education and integrate specialist colleges within the wider further education sector, what steps she plans to take to deliver this commitment.

Claire Coutinho: The further education (FE) sector plays a crucial role in delivering special educational needs provision through a range of courses.On 2 March 2023, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan in response to the SEND and AP Green Paper.As set out in the Improvement Plan, we propose to work with the sector to review the way the department defines and manages specialist FE and consider what changes, if any, are needed. The department aims to involve the FE sector in this process, ensuring any changes needed are carefully considered.

Priority School Building Programme

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department made of the effectiveness of the Priority School Building Programme private finance local authority and voluntary aided school revenue grant.

Nick Gibb: Well maintained, safe school buildings are a priority for the Department, and over £15 billion has been allocated since 2015 to improve the condition of the estate. In 2023/24, the Department has announced £1.8 billion for improving school buildings, including £1.1 billion in school condition allocations for Local Authorities, large multi-academy trusts and large Voluntary Aided bodies. This is informed by consistent data on the condition of the school estate.The Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) included the procurement of five Private Finance (PF2) projects, which the Department entered directly with the private sector. There are no Revenue Support Grant payments made in relation to these projects.

Department for Education: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on her Department's performance during May 2023.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s approach to hybrid working, blending workplace and home working, has supported officials to carry out vital work across skills, schools and families. This work is vital to deliver on the Government’s ambition to grow the economy and spread opportunity right across this country.Officials have carried out frontline visits and worked collaboratively in the Department’s offices and from locations all over the country to drive progress in all these areas and more. The Department’s approach to hybrid working has supported productive and efficient working between Officials and Ministers to deliver on priorities.The published data is available for the Department headquarters Sanctuary Buildings only and inferences about the wider workforce cannot be made from the data. The data does not capture working in other locations such as other government buildings, other workplaces or working from home. The published data are not Official Statistics.The Department is currently engaging with staff to further develop its approach to hybrid working based on what has been experienced and learned since January 2022 to ensure it remains effective.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of High needs funding.

Claire Coutinho: High needs revenue funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is increasing to £10.1 billion for the 2023/24 financial year, which is an increase of nearly £1 billion from last year’s allocations and over 50% from the 2019/20 allocations.The department is supporting all local authorities to look now at what positive action can be taken to improve the way children's and young people’s needs are met, prepare for wider SEND system improvements, bring high needs costs under control and address DSG deficits. More than half of local authorities in England have been invited to join either the Safety Valve programme or the Delivering Better Value programme.In the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, the department committed to introducing local SEND and AP partnerships that will bring together delivery partners across local systems to strategically plan and commission support for children and young people with SEND and in AP. They will be expected to co-produce a Local Area Inclusion Plan based on robust evidence that will explain how the needs of children and young people in the area will be met.The department recognise that there is a lack of consistency in SEND and AP practice and provision currently being delivered in some local areas. Our intention is to build on high quality practice through working with system partners through the delivery of the SEND and AP Improvement Plan.We will build on what we know about improving children and young people’s attainment and educational outcomes and explore options to address gaps in the existing evidence base.

Secure Accommodation: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department allocated to Enfield Council through the Secure Accommodation Grant in each of the last ten years in real terms.

Claire Coutinho: Enfield Council does not have any secure children’s homes (SCH) and therefore has not been in receipt of a grant for secure accommodation.The 2021 Spending Review announced a total of £259 million of funding to undertake a programme of work aimed at maintaining sufficiency and expanding provision of both secure and open residential children’s homes estates. A new SCH is proposed for London as part of this. The Pan-London SCH project is at the construction feasibility stage. The project is following a Gateway approach which enables the department to review proposed project costs and progress at key delivery points to ensure value for money and ensure that the project is on track as it progresses.Once operational, the new facility will provide an additional 24 beds, with plans for four step-down beds for young people with complex needs who require this care.

Tourism and Travel: Qualifications

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason level 3 travel and tourism qualifications will not be funded after 2025; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of this decision on (a) the North East and (b) Newcastle.

Robert Halfon: The department has embarked on a technical education reform programme. The changes to post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below are designed to ensure that our qualifications system provides opportunity for young people from all backgrounds. We want as many people as possible to undertake world class A levels and T Levels, as evidence shows these qualifications provide the best foundation from which to progress either into higher education (HE), or skilled employment.Data shows that, in the following year, of the approximately 3,100 16-18 students who completed a level 3 qualification in Travel and Tourism in 2018/19:Only 16% progressed into HE, of which just under half (44%) moved into Travel and Tourism related HE study.Just under half (45%) moved purely into employment, in a mixed range of sectors, including retail and wholesale (30%), hospitality (24%), administration (10%), health and social care (8%), and transport (6%).26% of students went on to further further education study, the majority (64%) in the same area.This shows mixed progression outcomes for these qualifications. Specifying that newly developed travel and tourism-related qualifications must be based on employer-designed, approved occupational standards at level 3 will ensure that students gain the knowledge, skills, and behaviours employers in the travel and tourism industries need, leading to better and more consistent progression outcomes for young people.The department will continue to fund travel and tourism qualifications at level 3 beyond 2025. Existing travel and tourism qualifications will remain funded until 31 July 2026, after which qualifications approved for funding in travel and tourism will need to be mapped against one of the relevant occupational standards at level 3 for technical qualifications. Further information can be accessed at: https://occupational-maps.instituteforapprenticeships.org/.For future qualifications, the department is encouraging awarding organisations to work with schools, colleges and employers to develop new travel and tourism focused technical qualifications at level 3 which support young people to enter employment or further technical study.

Social Workers: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many social workers are (a) permanent and (b) agency staff; and what the cost is of employing each group in (i) Enfield North Constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Enfield and (iii) London.

Claire Coutinho: The department does not collect the number of permanent and agency staff at constituency level, and does not collect data on the cost of employing permanent or agency social workers.In 2022 there were a total of 5,392.8 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) child and family social workers employed by local authorities in London. In addition there were 1,700 child and family social workers in London that were hired as agency staff. This gives a total of 7,092.8 FTE child and family social workers in London.In 2022 there were a total of 201.2 FTE child and family social workers employed in the London Borough of Enfield. In addition there were 31.3 child and family social workers in the London Borough of Enfield that were hired as agency staff. This gives a total of 232.5 FTE child and family social workers in the London Borough of Enfield.

Further Education: Special Educational Needs

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to support transition out of education for young college leavers with complex special educational needs or disabilities; and what steps she plans to take to help improve collaboration between education, adult social care and health for those young people.

Claire Coutinho: Well-planned transitions are key to setting children and young people up for success. On 2 March 2023, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, in response to the SEND and AP Green Paper published in March last year. The Plan outlines the government’s mission for the SEND and AP system to fulfil children and young people’s potential, build parent’s trust, and provide financial sustainability.The department has committed to developing good practice guidance to support consistent, timely and high-quality transitions for children and young people with SEND and in AP. This will ultimately look at transitions between all stages of education from early years and will focus initially on transitions into and out of post-16 settings, including transitions into employment and adult services.We are working closely with colleagues from the Department of Health and Social Care as we develop this guidance, in order to improve collaboration between services and smooth transitions. This is also in line with the commitments set out in the Building the Right Support action plan.The SEND Code of Practice is clear that all children and young people with SEND should be prepared for adulthood and supported with that transition. Further education providers must use their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision called for by the student’s special educational needs.

Apprentices: Young People

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of funding for apprenticeship training for people over the aged of 18.

Robert Halfon: Apprenticeships provide people with a unique opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills needed to start, enhance, or change careers. The department currently offers high-quality apprenticeship routes into more than 660 occupations and is providing £2.7 billion of funding by the 2024/25 financial year to support employers to take up these opportunities. In the 2021/22 academic year, 349,000 people started an apprenticeship, and of these, 271,600 were aged 19 or over. In addition, 92% of apprentices go into further work or training, with 90% in sustained employment upon completion of their programme.We provide additional financial support for employers and training providers who take on apprentices aged under 19, those aged 19 to 24 who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, and those who have been in care. In each case, the employer and provider receive a payment of £1,000 to help meet the cost of additional support that these apprentices may require. For those apprentices under the age of 25 who have been in local authority care, they are entitled to a care leavers bursary of £1,000, which will rise to £3,000 from 1 August 2023.The department is taking a range of actions to encourage uptake of apprenticeships among adults. This includes UCAS expanding their service from this autumn so that those exploring higher education routes can see more personalised options, including degree apprenticeships. From 2024, students will then be able to apply for apprenticeships alongside degrees.In addition, we are promoting apprenticeships to older adults looking to return to the labour market or to retrain. These opportunities, called returnerships, bring together apprenticeships, skills bootcamps, and sector-based work academies. Returnerships will raise awareness of these pathways, providing a clear route back into work and encouraging employers to hire older workers.

Schools: Admissions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Basic Need schools funding.

Nick Gibb: The Department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support Local Authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places. It is targeted according to expected need, which is calculated using Local Authorities’ own pupil forecasts and school capacity data.Nationally, the primary school population grew by 16% between 2009 and 2019. Between 2015 and 2023, the secondary school population grew by 14% and it is expected to peak in 2024. Despite peaking at a national level, the Department expects growth to continue in some parts of the country.The Department has now committed Basic Need capital funding of over £14 billion to support the creation of new school places between 2011 and 2026, including a total of almost £2 billion for places needed in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The Department regularly engages with Local Authorities to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When Local Authorities are experiencing difficulties, the Department supports them to find solutions as quickly as possible.Local Authorities, schools and communities have risen to the challenge with the support of the Department’s Basic Need grant and the Free Schools programme. Between May 2010 and May 2022, they have created almost 1.2 million school places, the largest increase in school capacity for at least two generations. Many of these places have been built in schools Ofsted has rated as good or outstanding. For example, between 2020 and 2021, 89% of the new primary places added and 88% of new secondary places were in good or outstanding schools.The support provided by the Department meant that, between 2010 and 2023, the average primary class size has remained stable between 26.4 and 27.1 pupils and the average secondary class size remains low at 22.4 pupils, despite the increase in pupil numbers.Additionally, in 2022, 92.2% of families received an offer of a place at their highest preference primary school and 83.3% of families received an offer of a place at their highest preference secondary school.The number of pupils in places that exceed their school’s capacity is down by around 40% since 2010, from over 97,000 in May 2010 to 59,000 in May 2022.

Apprentices: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department allocated to Enfield Council through the Apprenticeships Participation 18 plus Grant in each of the last ten years in real terms.

Robert Halfon: Funding available in the 2023/24 financial year for apprenticeships in England is £2.58 billion.Funding for new apprenticeship starts is not allocated to individual areas, or by age. Rather, employers of all sizes across England can access funding to offer high-quality apprenticeships to help meet their skills needs.Since 2010, there have been over 20,000 apprenticeship starts in Enfield local authority.The department is unable to provide a breakdown of apprenticeship spending by region as it does not publish this data.

Further Education: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department allocated to Enfield Council through the 16 to 19 Education Grant in each of the last ten years in real terms.

Robert Halfon: The department allocates 16-19 funding, through a national funding formula to individual institutions who can use their funds, as appropriate, to support students in line with the funding rules we set each year. The department publishes allocations by institution. Allocations covering the last 10 academic years can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-allocations.The 16 to 19 funding is allocated to Enfield London Borough Council as a training provider. The council are also allocated funding to pay maintained school sixth forms and maintained special schools (bursary funding).The government publishes GDP deflators that can be used to understand the impact of inflation over time. These are available at: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP March 2023 (Quarterly National Accounts) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Summer Schools: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department allocated to Enfield Council through the Summer Schools Grant in each of the last ten years in real terms.

Claire Coutinho: The department has made available almost £5 billion for education recovery packages to support children and young people of all ages in catching up on missed education and development. Funding was made available for demand-led summer schools in summer 2021 so that children, particularly in transition years between primary and secondary, could access some of the fundamental teaching and enrichment activities that are so vitally important to development.The allocations made available to each eligible secondary school, by local authority in England, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-summer-schools-programme-funding.Enfield London Borough Council was allocated a maximum of £232,830 for its maintained schools. This funding was demand-led and, overall, claims for actual costs were less than that allocated.Maintained schools received their funding via the local authority and academies received their funding directly in the October/November 2021 funding round.

Apprentices: Finance

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the exceptional review of the funding bands for 20 apprenticeship standards will be completed.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the funding bands for apprenticeship standards in the context of recent trends in the level of inflation.

Robert Halfon: There have been over 5.4 million apprenticeship starts since 2010, and the department investing £2.7 billion in 2024/25 to support all employers to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training.The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has implemented a refined and evidence-based approach to determining funding band recommendations. This new approach ensures that the recommended funding bands more accurately align with the true cost of delivering apprenticeships. An average of 6-10 apprenticeship standards undergo review, frequently leading to increased funding. A recent example of this positive impact is the funding for Level 2 Hair Professional standard, which saw a substantial increase from £7,000 to £11,000The department recognises the impact inflation continues to have on apprenticeships delivery. In response to this, in January 2023, IfATE announced Exceptional Funding Band Reviews to help employers and providers tackle rising costs.These reviews are targeted at high-volume apprenticeships in skills shortage occupations and priority sectors. These apprenticeships have been chosen following consultation with provider representative bodies, taking account of available evidence on the impact of cost inflation on apprenticeships delivery.The department is working at pace to complete this review, and in the meantime, we continue to revise apprenticeship standards through our regular process to ensure they reflect delivery costs. IfATE will carefully consider the evidence in each case to ensure that successful delivery of apprenticeships continues across all standards.

Schools: Buildings

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of school condition funding.

Nick Gibb: The Department has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 for keeping schools safe and operational, including £1.8 billion committed for the 2023/24 financial year. School Condition Allocations (SCAs) are allocated annually to Local Authorities, large multi-academy trusts and large voluntary aided school groups to invest in maintaining and improving the condition of their schools, whilst the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is a bid-based fund for essential condition projects at small and stand-alone academy trusts, voluntary aided schools and sixth-form colleges. £1.1 billion has been announced in school condition allocations for 2023/24, and over £450 million for the CIF, which will fund projects at 859 schools and sixth-form colleges. In 2022/23, the Department announced an additional £500 million in funding to improve buildings at schools and colleges, prioritising energy efficiency.In addition, the School Rebuilding Programme will transform buildings in poor condition at 500 schools, prioritising poor condition and evidence of potential safety issues. New buildings are already being delivered across the country with modern designs that are net zero carbon in operation.SCAs take into account consistent data from the Condition Data Collection (CDC1) to ensure funding is weighted to reflect the relative condition of school buildings. It is up to responsible bodies to decide how to prioritise SCAs to address specific condition issues in their schools, based on local knowledge. Applications to the CIF are robustly assessed against the published criteria, prioritising need.The Department provides extensive guidance for responsible bodies to help them make effective spending decisions and manage their estates strategically and effectively through resources such as the Good Estate Management for Schools guidance.The impact of school condition funding is reviewed on an ongoing basis, in order to inform decisions about future funding. In particular, the second Condition Data Collection, CDC2, will allow the Department to look at the impact of funding policy and programmes since CDC1, both at a national and local level. Early indications from schools that have received their CDC2 report show that core building elements with the lowest condition grade have been addressed in the overwhelming majority of cases.

Schools: Transport

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the help with home to school transport programme.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s school transport policy aims to ensure that no child is unable to access education because of a lack of transport. Local Authorities must arrange free travel to school for children aged 5 to 16 who attend their nearest school and cannot walk there due to the distance, route safety, or as a result of special educational needs, disability or mobility problems. There are additional rights to free travel for low-income families aimed at helping them exercise school choice.The Department works closely with Local Authorities to gain an understanding of the opportunities and challenges they face which, for example, supported decision-making on the measures put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, the Department also consulted on its statutory guidance for Local Authorities which helped highlight areas of challenge that we have worked to address. The revised guidance will be published shortly.Whilst no formal assessment of the effectiveness of the policy has been conducted, the Department has a good understanding of how it is operating and engages regularly so if challenges arise, work can be done to address them.

Priority School Building Programme: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department allocated to Enfield Council for the Priority school building programme in the latest period for which data is available.

Nick Gibb: There were four schools from Enfield Council included in the Priority School Building Programme, the predecessor to the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP), with a total funding of over £14 million. The projects at Eldon Primary School, Walker Primary School, Durants School and Brimsdown Primary School have all been completed and the schools are able to teach in modern facilities that will inspire generations of pupils.The SRP was announced in 2020 and will transform buildings at 500 schools and sixth form colleges over the next decade. It will rebuild or refurbish poor condition buildings, providing modern designs, with new buildings being net zero carbon in operation. Five schools from within Enfield Council area have been selected for SRP, announced in 2022. These schools are being scheduled for delivery, and the funding for each project will depend on the works at each school. This will be determined when the scope and delivery plans for each project are developed.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Senior mental health lead training funding.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Wellbeing for education recovery grant.

Claire Coutinho: The department published updates on the delivery of senior mental health lead training in May 2022 and 2023, which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. The May 2023 publication also includes data from senior leads about the impact on their practise following training.Information about the reach and impact of the Wellbeing for Education Return and Recovery programmes is also available in the published data release.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department made available to Enfield Council through the Senior Mental Health Lead Training Grants in each of the last ten years in real terms.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department allocated to Enfield Council through the Wellbeing for Education Recovery Grant in each of the last ten years in real terms.

Claire Coutinho: The department has been offering a grant to all state schools and colleges to train a senior mental health lead since October 2021, helping settings to develop their holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing. Senior mental health lead training grants are paid to eligible schools and colleges once they have completed their application and provided evidence of booking a department quality assured course.The department publishes a list of schools and colleges that have claimed a senior mental health lead training grant, updated throughout the year, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-data-on-funding-claims-by-institutions. This data confirms that 33 grants were paid in 2021/22 to schools and colleges in the London Borough of Enfield, and 19 were paid in 2022/23, totalling £62,400 in grants to date.The department also provided Wellbeing for Education Return/Recovery grants to local authorities in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years, to provide additional support to state-funded schools and colleges to enable education staff to promote and support the wellbeing and mental health of pupils and students, during the return to schools and in the pandemic recovery period.The London Borough of Enfield received a Wellbeing for Education Return grant of £37,356 in 2020/21 and a further Wellbeing for Education Recovery grant of £32,825 in 2021/22, amounting to a total of £70,181. This data can be obtained from the tables published in the Wellbeing for Education Return and Recovery grant determination letters which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wellbeing-for-education-return-grant-s31-grant-determination-letter.

Pre-school Education: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department allocated to Enfield Council through the Early Years Professional Development Programme (Phase 2) in each of the last ten years in real terms.

Claire Coutinho: Phase 2 of the Professional Development Programme (PDP2) ran during one calendar year, from January to July 2022, providing high-quality training to over 1,300 practitioners in 51 local authorities. The training covered early language, early mathematics and personal, social and emotional development.To enable practitioners to access the training, the department provided funding for backfill costs, through a Section 31 grant to local authorities. Local authorities were asked to pass on the backfill funding to settings participating in the programme. The backfill was paid in two tranches.Tranche 1, covering training delivered in January to March 2022, was issued to local authorities in March 2022. In Tranche 1, Enfield Council was paid £14,300.Tranche 2, covering training delivered in April to July 2022, was issued in March 2023. In Tranche 2 Enfield Council was paid £12,700.

Special Educational Needs

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2022 to Question 99943 on Special Educational Needs, whether a local education authority has a duty to place a student with an Education, Health and Care Plan in a year group other than the usual for their chronological age when a parent requests it.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2022 to Question 99943 on Special Educational Needs, whether a Public Sector Equality Duty assessment was carried out on the decision to not apply the School Admissions Code to children with Education, Health and Care plans.

Claire Coutinho: A parent may ask a local authority to place their child with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan in a school year group other than the usual for their chronological age. It is then for the local authority to decide whether to do so, taking into account all relevant factors. Such factors will include the views of the parents and of the head teacher, and whether such an arrangement would be considered as ‘special educational provision’ in response to an identified special educational need.The School Admissions Code is established pursuant to the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Decisions about placements of children within EHC Plans are covered by a different legal regime, the Children and Families Act 2014 and Regulations made under that Act. This means that there was no decision to be made about whether to apply the School Admissions Code to children with EHC plans.

Pre-school Education: Teachers

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Early Years Professional Development Programme.

Claire Coutinho: The Early Years Professional Development Programme is being independently evaluated as part of the Early Years Education Recovery Programme.Findings will be available in due course and published as standard on GOV.UK.

Schools: Finance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the school improvement monitoring and brokering grant.

Nick Gibb: In June 2019, the Department published research to help understand how Local Authorities were using the School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering (SIMB) grant. Details are available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/808505/Analytical_Associate_Pool_summary_of_projects_June_2019.pdf.In October 2021, the Department conducted a consultation on ‘Reforming how local authority school improvement functions are funded’, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-how-local-authority-school-improvement-functions-are-funded. In January 2022, the Department published the outcome to this consultation in its Government response, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1045633/Government_response_-_Reforming_how_LA_SI_functions_are_funded.pdf.The response announced that the Department would be phasing out the SIMB grant over the 2022/23 financial year and the grant would cease in the 2023/24 financial year. The final payment of the SIMB grant was paid to Local Authorities in April 2023.

Coronavirus Catch-up Premium

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Catch-up premium: coronavirus (COVID-19) funding.

Nick Gibb: The universal Catch Up Premium, worth a total of £650 million, was introduced as a direct grant to schools in the 2020/21 academic year to support with making up for lost teaching time caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The universal Catch Up Premium funding was paid to all state funded mainstream and special schools, and alternative provision, as all pupils were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools’ allocations were calculated on a per pupil basis. To help schools make the best use of this funding, the Education Endowment Foundation published a support guide for schools with evidence based approaches to catch up for all pupils.The Department did not routinely collect information on how schools used the catch-up premium, given the additional administrative burdens this would place on schools at a time of significant pressure. The Department contracted with Ipsos MORI, in consortium with Sheffield Hallam University and the Centre for Education and Youth, to undertake a mixed methods study design to understand how recovery strategies have been implemented, and how best to support schools in future. The year 2 findings of this study were published in January 2023, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1131182/School_recovery_strategies_year_2_findings.pdfThe Department continues to monitor levels of attainment to understand the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and education policies.

Teachers: Training

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the teaching schools core funding annual grants.

Nick Gibb: The Teaching School Programme operated from September 2011 to August 2021 and focused on school to school support. The National College for Teaching and Leadership, as an Executive Agency of the Department at that time, commissioned an evaluation of Teaching Schools which was published in 2016. The report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-schools-evaluation-final-research-report.In the Recruitment and Retention strategy, published in January 2019, the Department committed to improving support for all teachers, ensuring that they receive high quality training and development at every stage of their career. The Teaching School Hub programme, in operation since September 2021, created a network of 87 centres of excellence for teacher training and development to replace the previous network of around 750 Teaching Schools.Teaching School Hubs receive an annual core grant to ensure they have the capacity to deliver teacher development in their areas. Teaching School Hubs are measured for effectiveness against a rigorous set of key performance indicators on a termly basis. Funding is assured through the annual certificate of expenditure process to ensure that funding has been spent in line with the grant terms and conditions.

Natural History: GCSE

Jo Gideon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had recent discussions with OCR on progress towards introducing a Natural History GCSE; and whether she plans to launch a consultation for the specification for the qualification.

Nick Gibb: Last year, the Department announced the introduction of a new natural history GCSE. The Department is committed to developing the GCSE as quickly as possible, provided that it meets the rigorous requirements that apply to all GCSEs. The Department is working closely with the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR), other exam boards and independent experts to develop draft subject content for the GCSE.The Department aims to consult publicly on the draft subject content later this year. Any amendments to subject content will then be made considering responses to the public consultation before the subject content is finalised.

Teachers: Training

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department made available to Enfield Council through the Teaching School Core Grant in each of the last ten years in real terms.

Nick Gibb: The Teaching Schools programme operated from September 2011 to August 2021 and focused on school to school support.In the Recruitment and Retention strategy, published in January 2019, the Department committed to improving support for all teachers, ensuring that they receive high quality training and development at every stage of their career. The Teaching Schools Hubs programme, in operation since September 2021, created a network of 87 centres of excellence for teacher training and development to replace the previous network of around 750 Teaching Schools.Enfield Council has not received a direct Teaching School Core Grant from the Department. The Teaching Schools programme, which ended in 2021, paid the Teaching School Core Grant to the nominated bank account of the Teaching Schools based in Enfield as shown in the table below.Designated Teaching SchoolHighlands SchoolSouthgate School2013/14 (AY)050,0002014/15 (AY)60,00040,0002015/16 (AY)50,00040,0002016/17 (AY)40,00040,0002017/18 (AY)40,00040,0002018/19 (AY)40,00040,0002019/20 (AY)40,00040,0002020/21 (AY)40,00040,000Total 310,000330,000North West London Teaching School Hub has been designated to provide its services to the area of Enfield until August 2024 and its grant is paid directly to its bank account. In the 2021/22 academic year the Department paid North West London Teaching School Hub £220,000 for the delivery of Initial Teacher Training, Early Career Framework, National Professional Qualifications, the Appropriate Body role and additional professional development according to local need.

Schools: Coronavirus

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Recovery premium funding.

Nick Gibb: The Recovery Premium, worth over £300 million, was introduced in the 2021/22 academic year as a direct grant for schools to deliver evidence based approaches to support educational recovery of disadvantaged pupils. As part of the 2021 Spending Review, the Government announced an extension to the Recovery Premium worth £1 billion across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years. This funding is in addition the Pupil Premium funding for state funded schools in England to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.To help schools focus on the most effective approaches to raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils, they must use their Recovery Premium and Pupil Premium funding in line with evidence based approaches, drawing on the evidence of what works provided by the Education Endowment Fund. Schools are required to publish an annual strategy statement for the academic year by 31 December, setting out how they plan to spend the Pupil Premium and the Recovery Premium, and demonstrating that their approach is informed by evidence. The Department will undertake monitoring checks on a sample of schools’ published reports.The Department contracted with Ipsos MORI, in consortium with Sheffield Hallam University and the Centre for Education and Youth, to undertake a mixed methods study design to understand how recovery strategies have been implemented, and how best to support schools in future. The year 2 findings of this study were published in January 2023, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1131182/School_recovery_strategies_year_2_findings.pdf.The Department continues to monitor levels of attainment to understand the effect the COVID-19 pandemic and education policies.

Treasury

Treasury: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500 for July 2022, what was the (a) nature and (b) purpose of the services for which Barnard and Westood Ltd. were paid £1,328.60 on 23 August 2022.

Gareth Davies: The nature of expenditure was the printing for the Ceremonial programme of the State Opening of Parliament. The purpose was so that guests invited were able to follow the Order of Service during the Ceremony. It is a long-standing practice over many years for the government to meet these costs. For example, in 2007, the government had a budget of £1,000 for such costs.

Treasury: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500 for September 2022, published on 31 May 2023, what the purpose was of the conference for which the Kia Oval was paid £7,188 on 6 September 2022; and who the attendees were.

Gareth Davies: This was a working event using Kia’s conference facilities, as HMT’s facilities accommodate 100 people seated. The working event was attended by around 180 staff from the Financial Services Group, part of His Majesty’s Treasury. The purpose was capability building and development directly related to the departmental business plan and agreed business objectives.

Duty Free Allowances

Mary Glindon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made any assessment of the potential impact of duty free arrivals stores on the revenue generation of (a) UK travel hubs, (b) Newcastle International Airport and (c) other regional airports.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of how much and what proportion of annual revenue generated by (a) Newcastle International Airport and (b) other regional airports is non-aeronautical; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing duty free stores on arrivals on that level of revenue.

Gareth Davies: The Treasury does not hold data relating to individual airports’ sales and revenue. Duty-free on arrival would place additional pressure on the public finances to which excise duty makes a significant contribution. Tax generated by the Government helps fund key spending priorities such as important public services, including the NHS, education, and defence.Although there are no plans to introduce a duty-free on arrival scheme, the Government keeps all taxes under review and welcomes representations to help inform future decisions on tax policy, as part of the tax policy making cycle and Budget process.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Jo Gideon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential revenue generated by by extending the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to include (a) milk-based drinks and (b) fruit juice; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Davies: The exemption for milk-based and certain milk substitute drinks will next be considered after the Office for Health Inequalities and Disparities completes its voluntary sugar reduction reporting programme, expected later in 2023. The primary aim of the SDIL is to encourage producers to remove added sugar from soft drinks. There are no current plans to review the exclusion of fruit juices packaged and sold without added sugars.

Economic Situation: Temperature

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has designated additional financial support in this financial year for the mitigation of the potential impact of heatwaves on the economy.

Gareth Davies: The Government is working to develop a third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), due for publication later this year, that addresses all 61 risks and opportunities identified in last year’s UK Climate Change Risk Assessment. Building on the policies and actions outlined in the Second National Adaptation Programme, NAP3 will update on the Government’s plans to address risks arising from changing climatic conditions and extreme weather events, including higher temperatures and heatwaves.Using the policies and processes already in place to manage challenges posed by adverse weather events, Departments across Government worked to respond to last year’s heatwave, including as part of the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Heatwave Plan for England.The UKHSA has since published in April 2023 its first edition of the new Adverse Weather and Health Plan (AWHP) to help prepare for, plan, and respond effectively to adverse weather events, and protect the population from the health effects of extreme heat. The UKHSA has also implemented a heat-health alert system, which went live earlier this month.

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation: Licensing

David Mundell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the expected processing time is for an asset freeze licence application by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation.

Gareth Davies: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) prioritize urgent licence applications including those which concern humanitarian issues and basic personal needs, or where there is a severely detrimental impact such as a threat to life. As every licence application is unique, OFSI take a tailored approach to cases, and there is no standard processing time.

Treasury: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

Gareth Davies: Occupancy rate and hybrid working does not affect the Departments ability to deliver high quality work. HM Treasury has a hybrid working policy in place in which it requires staff to attend the office for 50% of their working week. The Treasury is keeping its ways of working and the amount of space it requires under review. Departmental occupancy rates including HM Treasury are regularly published here - Civil Service headquarters occupancy data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Duty Free Allowances: EU Countries

Mary Glindon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the European Commission's policy document entitled Review of the VAT rules applicable to travel and tourism sector: meeting with stakeholders, published on 19 October 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed introduction of arrivals duty free in the EU on trends in the level of departure sales at UK airports.

Gareth Davies: The UK has extended airside duty-free shopping to all passengers leaving the UK, including those travelling to the EU, meaning passengers can benefit from duty-free shopping in UK airports before travelling to their destination. Whilst the Government has no plans to introduce duty-free for arrivals in the UK, we keep all tax policy under review and consider all available evidence.

Monetary Policy: Inflation

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of quantitative easing on levels of inflation between 2009 and 2022.

Andrew Griffith: Monetary policy, including quantitative easing, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England. The Government is working closely with the Bank to ensure that monetary and fiscal policy are well coordinated, and fully supports the Bank in their mission to drive down inflation. The Government remains committed to monetary policy independence, and rightly does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.

Financial Conduct Authority: Complaints

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to The Financial Conduct Authority’s response to the Complaints Commissioner’s Annual Report 2021/2022 what steps he is taking to ensure the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) meets its target of resolving 75% of cases within 8 weeks; how long it is taking to resolve the cases not resolved within 16 weeks; if he will ask the FCA to publish data on the number of complaints that were not resolved within (a) 8, (b)16 and (c) more than 16 weeks that were subsequently withdrawn; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffith: The government is clear that the regulators should deal with all complaints in a timely manner, recognising that some cases will be more complex than others and therefore take more time to resolve. The FCA is operationally independent but I have asked them to respond to you directly on your specific questions about the time taken by the FCA to resolve complaints submitted through the Complaints Scheme. Anyone who is directly affected by the way in which the regulators have carried out their functions can raise a complaint through the regulators’ complaints scheme. This scheme is overseen by the Complaints Commissioner, who provides independent scrutiny of the regulators and is responsible for reviewing the effectiveness of the regulators’ complaints processes.

Public Sector: Innovation

Darren Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the budget allocated for public service innovation is in the (a) Department for Health and Social Care, (b) Department for Education, (c) Home Office, (d) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (e) Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, (f) Department for Work and Pensions and (g) Department for Justice.

John Glen: There is no single budget specifically allocated to “public service innovation” across government as a whole or within individual departments. The Government has funded a range of initiatives that could be considered public service innovation, but ultimately budgets are not measured in this way.

Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness Covid 19 Additional Relief Fund.

John Glen: In March 2021, the government announced the provision of £1.5 billion of additional support to businesses that had not already received business rates relief. The COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) was designed to support businesses affected by the pandemic but that were ineligible for existing business rates support. The Fund was awarded via local authorities, taking into account the economic impact COVID-19 on specific sectors. Local authorities were best placed to design and deliver effective schemes due to their knowledge of their local economies and those businesses most impacted by COVID-19. Final data for CARF is not yet available, however voluntary data returns from local authorities in September 2022 show that nearly £1.2 billion (80%) of funding had been allocated by local authorities at that time, supporting over 230,000 businesses across the country. Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-additional-relief-fund-distribution-data.

Development Aid

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to take steps to increase the Official Development Assistance budget.

John Glen: The Government remains committed to returning to a target of spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA when, on a sustainable basis, the government is not borrowing for day-to-day spending and underlying debt is falling. The government will continue to review and confirm each year whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast.

London Stock Exchange

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has he has made of the impact of allowing different voting rights for different classes of shareholder on the willingness of companies to list on the London Stock Exchange.

Andrew Griffith: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for determining listing rules, including those related to voting rights attached to shares. The FCA changed its rules to allow dual class shares structures on the ‘premium’ segment of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in 2021. They conducted a cost and benefit analysis that can be found here: https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/consultation/cp21-21.pdf On 3 May 2023, the FCA published a consultation proposing further reforms to dual class shares, in the context of their proposed overhaul of the LSE’s market segments. The consultation closes on 28 June and also includes an indicative cost-benefit analysis of their proposed reforms. This is available at: https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/consultation/cp23-10.pdf

Treasury: Economic Analysis

Pat McFadden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a list of the policies announced by His Majesty’s Opposition since 4 April 2020 in respect of which officials in his Department have produced formal analysis of the potential fiscal and economic impact, and if he will set out for each item (a) who was responsible for commissioning that analysis, (b) to whom that analysis was distributed, and (c) the date on which it was produced.

John Glen: There is a formal process for HM Treasury Ministers to commission officials to produce analysis of the potential fiscal and economic impacts of opposition policies. No formal analysis of opposition policies has been produced through this process in the period referenced.

Ministry of Defence

Royal Navy Recognised Sea Scouts: Finance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Sea Scout Groups funding.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the volunteer cadet corp grants.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The grants provided by the Royal Navy (RN) to both the Sea Scouts and the Volunteer Cadet Corps are assessed to have a positive effect. The RN provides its youth organisations with capitation grants which are used primarily to supply boats and equipment and to develop training for young people. This includes the opportunity to exercise responsibility and leadership through a variety of challenging activities and it imparts a basic knowledge and understanding of the role of the Armed Forces.

Ministry of Defence: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Over the last 12 months, the Ministry of Defence has consistently seen the highest average percentage of headquarters occupancy out of all Civil Service Departments that report on such transparency data. While these are not official Defence statistics, the average attendance for MOD Main Building has been in excess of 75% since February 2022, and greater than 85% since January 2023. There is no evidence to suggest any impact on performance across the Department as a result of MOD headquarters occupancy rates. It is important to note that the data does not capture employees working in other locations such as other Government buildings or other workplaces.

LGBT Veterans Independent Review

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to which minister the LGBT Veterans Review will report; and who will be responsible for acting on the Review's recommendations.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence and the Office for Veterans' Affairs jointly commissioned the independent review to better understand the impacts and implications of the pre 2000 policy relating to homosexual people serving in HM Armed Forces. The review underlines Defence's unwavering commitment to understanding how best to support its veteran and LGBT community.LGBT veterans who served from 1967 to 2000 were invited to provide testimony of their experience. Testimony was also sought from those who witnessed the treatment of LGBT personnel; those involved in delivering the ban and friends and families of LGBT veterans no longer able to give evidence.Lord Etherton recently concluded his independent review and submitted his report and recommendations to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in the Cabinet Office. The Government will now consider the report and recommendations and decide which Departments are best placed to take action.

Armed Forces: Homosexuality

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the deletion in 2010 of disciplinary records relating to the ban on homosexuality will not adversely affect eligibility for any future compensation scheme.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Defence and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs jointly commissioned an independent review into the service and experience of LGBT veterans who served in the Armed Forces between 1967 and 2000. The review underlines Defence’s unwavering commitment to understanding how best to support its veteran and LGBT community. The questions of financial compensation and other corrective and restorative measures were included in the scope of the LGBT Veterans Independent Review. Defence is grateful to Lord Etherton for his work on this important review. We deeply regret the past treatment of LGBT personnel in the Armed Forces and thank those that have come forward. The Government is considering the recommendations of the review and will respond in due course.

Multi-role Ocean Surveillance Ships: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Defence in a Competitive Age, published in March 2021, how much funding has been allocated to developing a new Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance capability.

James Cartlidge: Procurement of the first of two vessels providing future Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance capability, RFA PROTEUS, has had £82 million of funding allocated to it.

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications for a nuclear test veterans medal have been received; and how many of those medals have been issued.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As of 5 June 2023, 1,425 applications had been received and registered by the Ministry of Defence Medals Office for a Nuclear Test Medal. No medals have been issued as the medal design has yet to be finalised and production is expected to begin later this summer.

Global Combat Air Programme: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) procurement and (b) whole life cost of the Global Combat Air Programme.

James Cartlidge: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 11 May 2023, to Question 183855.Global Combat Air Programme: Costs (docx, 22.3KB)

Veterans: Employment

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people contacted the Veterans Gateway requesting employment support in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 and (d) 2022.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people requested financial support from the Veterans Gateway in each year since 2019.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people requested mental wellbeing support from the Veterans Gateway in each year since 2019.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people requested independent living support from the Veterans Gateway in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 June 2023 to Question 186791.Veterans Advisory Services (docx, 18.1KB)

Type 32 Frigates: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding has his Department allocated to the Type 32 programme.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor (Alex Chalk) gave on 3 March 2023 to Question 155050 to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones).Type 32 Frigates: Procurement (docx, 24.7KB)

Type 32 Frigates

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the expected (a) procurement cost and (b) whole life cost of the Type 32 programme.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor (Alex Chalk) gave on 3 March 2023 to Question 155050 to the right hon. member for North Durham (Kevan Jones).Type 32 Frigates: Procurement (docx, 24.7KB)

Multi-role Ocean Surveillance Ships: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Defence in a Competitive Age, published in March 2021, when he expects the new Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance capability to enter service.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him on the 8 June 2023 to Question 187585.RFA Proteus (docx, 18.0KB)

KFOR

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK troops have been stationed in Kosovo as part of KFOR each year since 2015.

James Heappey: Since 2015 the UK have deployed the following personnel to NATO’s KFOR mission.Year20152017201820192020202120222023OP Elgin13645565854012164Total13645565854012164 The above figures include tour rotations, there are currently 41 personnel based in country. The contributions in 2021 and 2022 are higher due to the UK’s participation in KFOR’s Operational Rehearsal exercise series. Our contribution to KFOR this year will rise to 330 personnel from August to October once again as part of KFOR’s Operational Rehearsal. The UK remains committed to KFOR and supporting security in Kosovo as underlined by the recent extension of our contribution until at least 2026.

Warships: Shipbuilding

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with (a) EU and (b) other European counterparts on the potential merits for UK industry of the proposed PESCO European Patrol Corvette joint tendering exercise.

James Heappey: The UK Government regularly discusses defence and security issues with our NATO Allies and European partners, but has not had any discussions on the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) European Patrol Corvette project.The UK has applied to join the PESCO Military Mobility project. We continue to monitor other PESCO projects as they develop, but have no intention to apply to join any of them at this time.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) full and (b) part time staff worked on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme in each month since April 2021.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full time equivalent staff worked on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme in each month since February 2023 for which figures are available.

James Heappey: The data to answer this question will take time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member when it is available.

KFOR

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK troops are stationed in Kosovo as part of KFOR.

James Heappey: There are 41 UK personnel currently in theatre as part of NATO's KFOR mission. This includes two staff officers in the KFOR HQ and an Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) Task Unit which provides a highly valued capability.We also provide a Battalion sized Over the Horizon Strategic Reserve Force (SRF) which is held at 14 days' notice to effect in the UK.The UK recently extended our commitment to KFOR until at least 2026.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghans were resettled in the UK through the Ex-Gratia Scheme by November 2022.

James Heappey: By November 2022 there were 526 principals resettled in the UK with their family members under the Ex-Gratia Scheme.

Indo-Pacific Region: Military Attachés

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Defence Attaches have been located by his Department in the Indo-Pacific region in each year since 2015.

James Heappey: The Department currently has 17 Defence Attaches covering 20 countries in the Indo-Pacific region (of which three are non-residential accreditations). Prior to 2022, there were 16 Defence Attaches covering the region.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme principals with confirmed eligibility to come to the UK  during or before Op Pitting were in Afghanistan in each month since September 2021.

James Heappey: Due to data constraints, we are unable to provide a breakdown of a specific group's relocations by month. However, we can confirm that as per my answer to Question 187104, our records show that four individuals remain in Afghanistan who were confirmed as eligible for ARAP prior to the end of Op Pitting. We are actively supporting the relocation of those wishing to relocate to the UK.Afghanistan: Refugees (docx, 22.2KB)

Indo-Pacific Region: Defence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help ensure the cooperation of South East Asian nations in the UK's strategic and defence posture in the Indo-Pacific.

James Heappey: The Integrated Review Refresh described the Government's intention to put the Indo-Pacific Tilt on a long-term strategic footing. Defence relationships with South East Asian nations make an important contribution.We are enhancing our engagement with the Five Power Defence Arrangements, are participating as observers in a number of ASEAN Expert Working Groups and have applied to join the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+).My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Ddefence met his Singaporean and Indonesian counterparts earlier this month. We have signed MOUs with Vietnam and Thailand and expanded our defence network to cover nine ASEAN members.Our presence in Brunei, two offshore patrol vessels and other exercises and training contribute to stability across the region.

Indo-Pacific Region: Joint Exercises

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral military exercises have taken place in the Indo-Pacific region in each year since 2015.

James Heappey: The information requested by the right hon. Member will take time to collate and I will write to him shortly.

Indo-Pacific Region: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK personnel have been stationed in each country in the Indo-Pacific in each year since 2015.

James Heappey: The information requested by the right hon. Member will take time to collate and I will write to him in due course.

Defence: Research

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's funding for university defence research collaboration in signal processing.

James Cartlidge: The Department's investment in the University Defence Research Collaboration has driven innovation in Signal Processing since 2008. It is an example of how Defence science makes important contributions to our national prosperity and skills, while continuing to develop the Armed Forces' competitive edge in science and technology (S&T).We constantly review and reprioritise resources and funding in the S&T Programme and will continue to do so in line with Ministry of Defence S&T Strategy.

Marines

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the Future Commando Force to reach initial operating capability.

James Cartlidge: The Commando Force programme is delivering a transformational change to the UK's amphibious capability. Delivery is structured in two investment increments. The first is focussed on 3 Commando Brigade's land capabilities and the second delivers the boats and uncrewed systems that are needed for ship-to-shore movement.On current plans, initial operating capability (IOC) for the first increment is projected for 2025, and the second for 2030. The programme IOC should therefore be considered to be 2025, but it is important to recognise that significant further development will take place before the programme achieves its objectives.

RFA Argus

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2022 to Question 31751 on 6 Warships: Procurement, what the cost was of (a) extending in service and (b) upgrading RFA Argus.

James Cartlidge: The planned life extension of RFA ARGUS has been incorporated into the Royal Navy's budget cycle and agreed at a planned cost of £130 million over the life of the ship to 2032.

Hercules Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for the C130J aircraft that are due for retirement in June 2023.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave to the right hon. member for Bournemouth East on 16 March 2023 for UIN 163730.Hercules Aircraft (docx, 17.9KB)

Multi-role Ocean Surveillance Ships

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the expected (a) procurement cost and (b) whole life cost of the Multi Role Support Ship programme.

James Cartlidge: The Multi Role Support Ship is currently in its concept phase. The programme and procurement strategy will be decided following this.

Department of Health and Social Care

Scurvy: Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of children being admitted to A&E with an (a) primary and (b) secondary diagnosis of scurvy per (i) month and (ii) year.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Pay

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the additional costs of the Agenda for Change pay settlement, announced on 2 May 2023, for (a) staff working in the non-statutory provider sector, (b) NHS staff working on local authority contracts and (c) staff employed through the Additional Role Reimbursement Scheme.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Transplant Surgery: Waiting Lists

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure people waiting for an organ transplant are assessed by the TransplantBenefitScore according to medical need and family circumstances.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Pay

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Government plans to fund the additional costs of the Agenda for Change pay settlement, announced on 2 May 2023, for (a) staff working in the non-statutory provider sector, (b) NHS staff working on local authority contracts and (c) staff employed through the Additional Role Reimbursement Scheme.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coeliac Disease and Autoimmune Diseases: Diagnosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to (a) improve the diagnostic landscape for people with (i) coeliac disease and (ii) other autoimmune conditions and (b) reduce the time taken for diagnosis of those diseases from the onset of symptoms; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Malnutrition: Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children were admitted to hospital via accident and emergency with a (a) primary and (b) secondary diagnosis of malnutrition in each month of the last five years.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Recruitment

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of additional GP appointments needed to meet demand.

Neil O'Brien: The Department recognises that general practice teams remain under pressure and are working hard to support their communities. General practice is delivering 10% more appointments each month compared to before the pandemic, the equivalent of the average practice seeing about 20 additional patients every working day.However, we know demand will grow as the population lives for longer with complex conditions, and that some patients struggle to contact and access their practice services in a timely way. That is why on 9 May 2023 we published our Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, which included the commitment to launch Pharmacy First so that by the end of 2023 community pharmacies can supply prescription only medicines for seven common conditions. Together with expanding pharmacy oral contraception and blood pressure services this could save ten million appointments in general practice a year, subject to consultation.In addition to the measures outlined above, we are investing at least £1.5 billion to create an additional 50 million general practice appointments by 2024, by increasing and diversifying the workforce.

Menopause

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of GP practices that currently offer specialised menopause services.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made. All general practitioners (GPs) should offer menopause care as menopause is a core competency for qualified GPs. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their local population, including specialist menopause services.

Retail Trade: Electronic Cigarettes

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a licensing regime for shops that sell vapes.

Neil O'Brien: No formal assessment has been made. However, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities recently launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products, including on how better to increase regulatory compliance.   The call for evidence has now closed and we are currently analysing the responses. Following this, the Government will consider a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping policy and regulation.

General Practitioners: Recruitment

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's commitment to recruit 6000 additional doctors in general practice, made in 2019, when he expects to have recruited all of those additional doctors.

Neil O'Brien: We remain committed to growing the general practitioner (GP) workforce and number of doctors in general practice, the Government is determined to deliver this as soon as possible. There were nearly 2,000 more full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in general practice in March 2023 compared to March 2019.We are working with NHS England to increase the general practice workforce in England. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encourage them to return to practice.NHS England has made available a number of retention schemes available to boost the general practice workforce. To boost recruitment, we have increased the number of GP training places. Last year, we saw the highest ever number of doctors accepting a place on GP training, a record 4,032 trainees, up from 2,671 in 2014.

Drugs: Safety

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help facilitate collaboration between (a) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and (b) biotechnology companies developing (i) organ-on-a-chip technologies and (ii) human-specific methods for assessing the safety of new drugs.

Will Quince: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is aware of organ-on-chip technologies to better identify potential toxicity of novel medicines and has engaged with other organisations active in this space such as the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research who have hosted meetings on this theme. The MHRA has also provided scientific advice to at least one biotechnology company on the use of this technology to support proof of concept for a new medicine. The MHRA does not identify those with whom it may have had discussions for reasons of commercial sensitivity.In relation to human specific methods, some medicines have been developed which only have activity in humans, such as eculizumab (Soliris), tebentafusp (Kimmtrak) or CAR T cell products (for instance, Kymriah, Yescarta and Tecartus). These medicines were developed using human specific methods; however, versions of these medicines that were active in animals were, in some cases, also used. The MHRA supports the developers of these products by its offer of scientific advice services, the Innovation Office and the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway.

Commission on Human Medicines

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the minutes of the Commission on Human Medicines’ Expert Advisory Group meetings that took place between 1 March 2020 and 31 December 2020; and for what reason there has been a delay in publishing those minutes.

Will Quince: The summary minutes for the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) and its Expert Advisory Group (EAG) for the period stated have been published and can be found at the following link:https://app.box.com/s/jv487awvqzzsrdql0o34h9gg350ceyd4.All published minutes for the CHM and its EAG are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/commission-on-human-medicines/about/membership#summary-minutes.The CHM also has an Expert Working Group (EWG). Minutes from meetings of EWGs are not published, but the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency routinely publishes the minutes of the CHM where recommendations to the licensing authority are formally agreed.

Department of Health and Social Care: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

Will Quince: As set out in the published data, occupancy in the headquarters office of the Department, at 39 Victoria Street London, was between 66-70% during May. This is broadly in line with occupancy levels since data started being collected and published in February 2022. The Department is committed to a model of hybrid working that drives value for taxpayers by ensuring office space is effectively utilised, that meets the Department's business needs and supports staff in working effectively in offices, at home and other locations. We continue to keep our ways of working under review.

NHS: Pay

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of overpayments in NHS staff wages in each of the last three years.

Will Quince: The Department sets the national terms and conditions for National Health Service staff, it is down to local organisations to implement these correctly. The Department does not hold data on overpayments and therefore no such estimate has been made.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential (a) merits of reducing the recommended 12-week interval for receiving a second covid-19 vaccination for people under the age of 18 and not in a high risk group and (b) impact of that reduction on the level of availability of the second vaccination for other people awaiting their second dose before 30 June 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Government is guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on vaccine provision at a population level, including the interval period for COVID-19 vaccination doses for the under 18s. The JCVI carefully considers and assesses the emerging evidence around the risks and benefits of vaccination to younger people before advising of the appropriate dosing schedule. For under 18s who are not in a high-risk group, a 12-week interval has been recommended by the JCVI. There remains sufficient capacity to meet current demand for first and second dose COVID vaccination and we would encourage all those aged 5 years and over who have not yet received their first or second dose to come forward for a vaccination before the offer ends on 30 June 2023.

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to the letter of (a) 27 March and (b) 28 April from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on support for the elderly on behalf of a constituent, Graham Briscoe.

Helen Whately: I replied to the hon. Member on 13 June 2023.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the potential adverse effects are of the spike proteins produced by mRNA covid-19vaccinations.

Maria Caulfield: A vaccinated individual may be exposed to the spike protein of circulating SARS CoV-2 virus in the population in addition to spike protein produced by the mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations. Therefore, it is not feasible to attribute potential adverse effects to spike proteins produced by the vaccine specifically. However, studies of toxicity in animals given the vaccine have been performed and allowed such effects to be detected. This is because these studies ensured that the animal was only exposed to the spike proteins through their mRNA vaccination. The toxicity studies of animals were reviewed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the MHRA’s independent expert advisory group, the Commission on Human Medicines. The study results did not indicate the presence of effects other than those expected for a vaccine. This includes, for example, an increase in body temperature, and swelling and redness at the injection site, which arise from the vaccine working to induce an immune response. The MHRA keeps emerging evidence on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines used in the United Kingdom immunisation programme under continual review and will take appropriate action to minimise risks to patients.

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Drugs

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis to treat sexually transmitted infections.

Neil O'Brien: UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) published a joint position statement on the use of doxycycline as prophylaxis (doxyPEP) for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in 2021. Given the need for additional data on the effectiveness of doxyPEP to control STIs and potential harms due to increasing antimicrobial resistance, it is not currently endorsed by the UKHSA. However, UKHSA continually reviews emerging scientific evidence of the effectiveness of doxyPEP to inform any future guidance on its use to control STIs.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle (a) underage vaping of illegal substances and (b) the sale and purchase of vape products by children.

Neil O'Brien: The Government is concerned about the recent rises in youth vaping, particularly because of the unknown long-term harms. We have recently outlined bold action to crack down on youth vaping. In April, we announced £3 million of funding for a new illicit vaping enforcement squad to tackle illicit and underage vape sales. At the end of May, the Prime Minister announced further action, including closing a loophole that allows the vape industry to give free samples of vapes to children, further education measures in schools, and a commitment to review the rules on selling nicotine-free vapes to under 18 year olds and in issuing on-the-spot fines.The Government also recently ran a call for evidence on youth vaping to identify steps to go further. This closed on the 6 June 2023 and we will respond later this year.

Dentistry: NHS

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists provided NHS services by (a) constituency and (b) region in each year between2015and2023.

Neil O'Brien: Dental Statistics is published by NHS Digital and is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics/2021-22-annual-reportThe requested data is not available at the constituency level. The attached table summarises the number of dentists providing National Health Service dental services in each region between 2015 and 2022, which is the latest year currently available. A dentist can perform NHS activity in multiple areas of the country throughout the financial year and be counted more than once.Summary of number of dentists 2015-22 (docx, 19.2KB)

Dentistry: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dentists are registered in (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of NHS dentistry appointments that were available in (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield in each year between 2018 and 2022.

Neil O'Brien: The requested information is not held centrally.

Liver Cancer: Transplant Surgery

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations made by the Liver Advisory Group in 2020 on liver transplantation for the treatment of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma and intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Neil O'Brien: The Liver Advisory Group, on behalf of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), are exploring pilot programmes for selected patients with both small intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma and perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pHCCa) with underlying primary sclerosing cholangitis.The pathway for intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma is now live and there is an offering process in place which should ensure they receive a timely named patient offer. The protocol for pHCCa remains in development and will soon be live in the third quarter of this year. Additionally, in collaboration with NHS England, NHSBT are developing the pHCCa as a commissioning evaluation for the neoadjuvant pathway of proton beam therapy which is a ground-breaking intervention that is being evaluated in this clinical transplant pathway.

Healthy Start Scheme

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Heathy Start Scheme applications were rejected due to the form being filled out incorrectly in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) March 2023; and how many applications to that scheme were rejected in that period in total.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Business Services Authority does not collect this data.

Oral Tobacco

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment on the use of oral nicotine pouches, what his planned timeline is for the regulation of oral nicotine pouches; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: There are no current plans to make a statement on the timeline for the regulation of oral nicotine pouches. They remain regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

Rheumatology

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve skill discrepancies in primary care to help improve diagnosis, treatment and management of Musculoskeletal health and rheumatic conditions.

Neil O'Brien: General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including for Musculoskeletal and rheumatic conditions, remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council (GMC). In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, gives patients confidence doctors are up to date with their practice and promotes improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.

Healthy Start Scheme

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2023 to Question 185900 on Healthy Start Scheme, on what timescale his Department measures forecasted uptake of the Healthy Start Scheme.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2023 to Question 185900 on Healthy Start Scheme, what the forecasted number was of (a) beneficiaries or (b) families in percentage format of the Healthy Start Scheme for (i) 2023-24 and (ii) 2022-23.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money was (a) allocated to and (b) spent on the Healthy Start Scheme in the 2021-22 financial year.

Neil O'Brien: The Healthy Start Scheme is a demand-led scheme and spending on the scheme varies each year. Departmental forecasts on numbers of beneficiaries and uptake of the Healthy Start scheme are not available. The cost of operating the Healthy Start scheme in 2021/22 was £78,148,555.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the use of vapes by children in and around schools.

Neil O'Brien: Given the recent increase in children vaping, the Government launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products. The call for evidence has now closed and we are currently analysing the responses including for the theme ‘Effective educational approaches to prevent child use of vapes’. Following this, the Government will consider a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping policy and regulation.The Prime Minister also recently announced several measures to address youth vaping, including closing a loophole that allows industry from giving out free samples to people of any age. As part of the wider review of relationships, sex and health education, we will update the health education curriculum to teach children about the harmful effects of vaping. The Government will also write to police forces to ensure dedicated school liaison officers across the country are aware of the Government's work on vaping and can make use of new resources to raise awareness of harms and the law, as well as supporting enforcement of school bans.To make young people aware of the risks of using vapes, in October 2022 we published new vaping content on the Talk to Frank and Better Health websites and developed a suite of resources for schools to use, including the recently published year nine lesson plan published by the PSHE Association. These can be found at the following link:https://pshe-association.org.uk/resource/vaping?hsLang=en

Dental Services: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the reasons for NHS dental services in York and the surrounding area not taking on more units of dental activity; and what steps he is taking to deliver dental services in that area. .

Neil O'Brien: The National Health Service contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. As a result, practices have the flexibility to recruit and deliver services to meet local needs. From 1 April 2023 responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.We acknowledge that there are areas of the country that are experiencing challenges in providing NHS dental services. We have taken steps to make NHS work more attractive to dentists through our July 2022 reforms to the dental contract. This included allowing NHS dentists to deliver up to 110% of their contracted Units of Dental Activities and enabling NHS commissioners to mandate contract rebasing for repeatedly underperforming NHS dental contracts.NHS England’s regional teams and ICBs across England are working together to ensure that patients continue to have access to NHS dental care. Our plan for additional reforms of the NHS Dental System across England will be announced shortly.

Dental Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions has he had with BUPA on the closure of NHS dental services; and if he will hold discussions with BUPA on extending NHS dental contracts.

Neil O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 April 2023 to Question 176621.

Electronic Cigarettes

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to reduce vaping in (a) children and young people and (b) adults.

Neil O'Brien: The Government recently ran a call for evidence on youth vaping to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products. This closed on 6 June 2023 and we will now consider a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping policy and regulation. We will respond later this year.

Cystic Fibrosis: Prescriptions

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of moving people with cystic fibrosis onto the prescription charges exemption list.

Neil O'Brien: There are no current plans to review or extend the prescription charge medical exemptions list to include cystic fibrosis. Almost 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in England and there are arrangements in place to help those with the greatest need. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension. Those with cystic fibrosis or another long-term condition may therefore meet the eligibility criteria for prescription charge exemptions and be in receipt of free prescriptions.To support those who do not qualify for an exemption of prescription charges, the cost of prescriptions can be capped by purchasing a prescription pre-payment certificate, which can be paid for in instalments. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.Additionally, people on a low income who do not qualify for an exemption from prescription charges can also seek help under the NHS Low Income Service (LIS), which provides help with health costs on an income-related basis.

General Practitioners

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on merging specialist and GP registers; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: As set out in our response to the Regulating healthcare professionals, protecting the public consultation, published on 17 February 2023, the Government is committed to modernising the regulatory framework for doctors as a top priority.The details of the changes to the General Medical Council’s (GMC) legislation, as they relate to doctors, are still to be worked through and will be subject to public consultation and the affirmative parliamentary procedure. These reforms will provide the GMC with greater flexibility to set out its own registration procedures in relation to post-graduate medical specialities in rules and guidance. Before taking forward any changes, the GMC will be required to cooperate with relevant bodies and consult on its proposals.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children and Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) undertaken research on measures adopted by other countries to prevent the take-up of vaping by (i) young people and (ii) adults.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has commissioned research on the impact of vaping in (a) children and (b) young children.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has not commissioned research on measures adopted by other countries to prevent the take-up of vaping by young people and adults. It is Government policy to help support adult smokers to switch to vaping to help them quit smoking. However, the Department keeps the emerging international evidence under continuous review.Through Department funding to the National Institute for Health and Care Research it has commissioned the following research on youth vaping which is available at the following links:https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR130292https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395919303056https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7036293/The Nicotine vaping in England: 2022 evidence update also has a chapter on youth vaping and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update

Food: Labelling

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Natasha's Law costs of enforcement grant.

Neil O'Brien: The New Burdens grant for the enforcement of Natasha’s Law is a non-ring-fenced revenue grant which has been provided to local authorities in England since the implementation of the legislation on 1 October 2021. The grant is jointly funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and was administered in 2021/22 and 2022/23 through a Section 31 grant. For 2023/24 onwards, funding has been rolled into the Local Government Finance Settlement.The funding for each local authority was calculated to take into account the additional time required during, and the frequency of, routine inspection visits, based on the number of relevant officers and affected businesses within a local authority.The FSA have recently undertaken an evaluation of the implementation of Natasha’s Law in the United Kingdom which included speaking to local authorities who are responsible for monitoring food business compliance with the new rules. The findings are being assessed and the report will be published in due course.

Confectionery and Electronic Cigarettes: Sales

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to prevent shops selling exclusively vapes and sweets.

Neil O'Brien: The Government recently ran a call for evidence on youth vaping which closed on 6 June 2023. This will identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products and explore where the Government can go further. We will respond later this year.

Health Incentives Scheme

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many active users there are of the Better Health: Rewards app.

Neil O'Brien: Registrations for the Better Health: Rewards app were open from 17 February 2023 to 3 April 2023 to adults in Wolverhampton. During this time, 28,858 people registered with the app.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2023 to Question 185548 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of that study’s finding on the Pfizer vaccine and the absolute risk increase of serious adverse events; and whether he has made a comparative assessment of (a) that study's and (b) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's estimate of the number of serious adverse events associated with covid-19 vaccination.

Maria Caulfield: A vaccine will not be authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) unless it meets stringent standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.The MHRA continuously monitors safety during widespread use of a vaccine. As part of this monitoring role MHRA keeps all available evidence under review, including studies such as the one referenced, published literature and data on vaccine use in the United Kingdom and globally. The MHRA’s position is that the benefits of these vaccines in preventing COVID-19 and serious complications associated with COVID-19 far outweigh any currently known side effects in the majority of patients. A summary of side-effects reported to MHRA under their Yellow Card reporting system after vaccination with COVID vaccines is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting

Coronavirus

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the continued impact of covid-19 on  people at higher risk of ill health through contracting covid-19 and (b) the risks such people continue to face from covid-19; and what steps he is taking to support those people.

Maria Caulfield: As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 30 March 2023, in 2023/24 the Government will maintain a range of capabilities to protect those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Given the continued effectiveness of vaccines and improved treatments, for most people there is a much lower risk of severe illness compared to earlier in the pandemic.Appropriate levels of testing will remain to support diagnosis for clinical care and treatment and to protect very high-risk individuals and settings. Those who are at highest risk and immunocompromised are part of the group who are eligible for COVID-19 treatments in the community enabling them easy access to anti-viral treatments. High risk individuals are also part of the priority cohort in line for booster vaccines. The Government will continue to consider the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on future vaccine selection and booster programmes for those at greatest risk. The Government will also maintain essential COVID-19 surveillance activities in the community, primary and secondary care, and in high-risk settings.

Independent Mental Health Advocates

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure access to Independent Mental Health Advocates for all children in detention.

Maria Caulfield: Patients detained under the Mental Health Act, including children and young people, are eligible for Independent Mental Health Advocates (IMHAs) who provide information about patient rights and how these can be exercised.The reforms set out in the draft Mental Health Bill published in June 2022 are expanding the right to an IMHA to all mental health inpatients, including voluntary patients, of which children and young people make up a significant proportion.These proposals include introducing an opt out advocacy model in which all qualifying children and young people will be referred automatically to an IMHA provider. Under this system, every child will receive an IMHA unless they decline this at a time in which they have been deemed competent to make that decision.

Draft Mental Health Bill

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2023 to Question 131354 on Draft Mental Health Bill, what discussions he had has with the Leader of the House on the parliamentary timetable for introduction of the Mental Health Bill.

Maria Caulfield: The Draft Mental Health Bill was published this session and underwent pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Committee. The Government is currently considering the Committee’s report and we will introduce the Bill when parliamentary time allows.

Circadin: Licensing

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the merits of licensing melatonin for over 18s in the UK who are diagnosed with autism and related sleep disorders.

Will Quince: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance for the use of melatonin in the United Kingdom which is available at the following link:https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/insomnia/prescribing-information/melatonin/Currently, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has made no specific assessment of licensing melatonin for over 18s in the UK who are diagnosed with autism and related sleep disorders. Clinicians make prescribing decisions for patients, taking into account best prescribing practice, appropriate guidance and the local commissioning decisions of integrated care boards. The clinician works with the patient to decide on the course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care being the primary consideration.

Yellow Card Scheme

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his Answer of 5 June 2023 to Question 186944 on Yellow Card Scheme, which international mandatory reporting systems have a (a) better reporting rate and (b) more successful system for detecting safety signals than the United Kingdom, and if he will publish the MHRA review of global approaches to mandatory reporting in other regulatory systems.

Will Quince: VigiBase is the World Health Organisation's (WHO) global database of reported potential side effects of medicinal products, and in the latest annual report, published by the WHO's Uppsala Monitoring Centre, it shows that the United Kingdom is the third largest contributor of reports, behind the USA and Germany and also one of the highest reporting countries per million inhabitants.A working group of the International Coalition of Medical Regulatory Authorities prepared a report led by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) which provides an overview of the information provided by the participating regulatory authorities in 2018. The report includes the information collated on mandatory reporting and reporting rates.

Drugs and Medical Equipment

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of  ensuring all producers of products registered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency publish (a) net prices, (b) financial and other contributions to their research and development,  (c) patent status, (d) licensing agreements and (e) a summary of contractual access conditions.

Will Quince: The MHRA is an independent regulator responsible for granting marketing authorisation to a product following a thorough review of an application submitted by its producer. There is no requirement for producers of these products registered by the MHRA to declare the information referenced, as this information is both commercially sensitive and not required for the MHRA to make an assessment of an application for marketing authorisation.

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and UK Health Security Agency

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the (a) implications for his policies of retaining both and (b) potential merits of merging the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the UK Health Security Agency.

Neil O'Brien: We have no current plans to make a specific assessment.

Community Nurses: Training

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the pause in procurement of district nursing training courses in September 2023 on (a) the number of district nursing training places and (b) patient safety in the community.

Will Quince: In order to build and sustain the district nursing workforce, NHS England has increased the number of district nurse places available for 2023/24. NHS England does not anticipate a disruption to education provision whilst it undertakes its procurement exercise to secure programmes ready for September 2024 starts.

Haemochromatosis

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department provides to GP practices for genetic testing for genetic haemochromatosis.

Will Quince: Whilst general practitioner (GP) practices are not directly funded to provide genomic testing for haemochromatosis, testing is available for all eligible patients across England through an NHS England centrally funded service. Any patient who is suspected of having haemochromatosis can be referred for testing via their local NHS Clinical Genomic Services (NHS CGSs), a comprehensive clinical genomic and counselling service that directs the diagnosis, risk assessment and lifelong clinical management of patients and their families who have, or are at risk of having, a rare genetic condition.Individuals should discuss with their healthcare professional, for example, their GP, whether genomic testing is appropriate for them. Their GP will then make a decision whether to refer the individual either directly or via a NHS CGS for genomic testing following clinical review and the relevant genomic testing eligibility criteria.

Rheumatology

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) rheumatology consultants, (b) rheumatology clinical nurse specialists, (c) specialist rheumatology physiotherapists, (d) psychologists, (e) podiatrists, (f) occupational health therapists and (g) specialist rheumatology pharmacists in England; and what steps he is taking to fill vacancies in those occupations.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff, by staff group, working in England, as of February 2023.Staff groupNumber of FTE staffRheumatology Consultants695Rheumatology Clinical Nurse SpecialistsNo data heldSpecialist Rheumatology PhysiotherapistsNo data heldPsychologists (Applied Psychology)8,399Podiatrists2,549Occupational Health Therapists16,419Specialist Rheumatology PharmacistsNo data heldSource: NHS Workforce StatisticsTo support the workforce as a whole we have commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan for the NHS workforce for the next 15 years. The Government has committed to publishing the Long-Term Workforce Plan shortly, which will include independently verified forecasts for the number of healthcare professionals required in future years, taking full account of improvements in retention and productivity. The long-term NHS workforce plan will look at the mix and number of staff required and will set out the actions and reforms across the NHS that will be needed to reduce supply gaps and improve retention. This plan will help ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills to transform and deliver high quality services fit for the future.On 10 January 2023, Health Education England (HEE) announced that nearly 900 additional medical specialty training posts will be created for this year, including an additional five rheumatology specialty training posts. Rheumatology is a popular specialty with over 95% of training places being filled.

Yellow Card Scheme

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2023 to Question 186946, on Yellow Card Scheme, when data collection began on medical devices which will be made available in a format similar to that of the Innovative Devices Access Pathway.

Will Quince: In 2015, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) simplified its medicine and device incident report systems by extending the Yellow Card scheme to collect reports on medical device incidents in addition to suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The MHRA's interactive Drug Analysis Profiles contain listings of all suspected ADRs reported through the Yellow Card scheme for medicines. MHRA is currently working to improve the Yellow Card reporting site and this work includes enhanced data visualisations of incident reports, and this will be rolled out across all medicinal products, including medical devices. This work will continue through 2023.

Fluoride: Drinking Water

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is talking to (a) enable and (b) promote to the public the potential benefits of water supply fluoridation.

Neil O'Brien: The Government has stated its intention to expand water fluoridation across the North-East of England, subject to consultation, to reach an additional 1.6 million people, and plans to hold the public consultation on the proposed expansion in the North-East in 2023. Following the consultation, we will provide an update on the proposals for water fluoridation.Water fluoridation is a safe public health intervention to improve the oral health of both adults and children and helps to tackle inequalities. The Health and Care Act will make it simpler to expand water fluoridation schemes across England.The United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers in their joint statement in September 2021 concluded that on balance, there is strong scientific evidence that water fluoridation is an effective public health intervention for reducing the prevalence of tooth decay and improving dental health equality across the UK. Their independent report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-statement-from-the-uk-chief-medical-officers/statement-on-water-fluoridation-from-the-uk-chief-medical-officers

Motor Neurone Disease: Nurses

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which hospital trusts (a) employ at least one and (b) do not employ a motor neurone disease clinical nurse specialist; and, of the trusts that employ at least one, how many each of them employed in the latest period for which information is available.

Will Quince: NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England, which are available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsThe published data does not provide a breakdown by nurse specialty.

Mental Health Services: Expenditure

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the £100 million for bespoke parent-infant relationship and perinatal mental health support set out in the Women's Health Strategy has been spent; and if he will publish a breakdown on that expenditure.

Neil O'Brien: Information relating to the funding that has been allocated to local authorities through the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme will be published in due course.Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, £100 million is being invested in improving parent-infant relationships and perinatal mental health support. £92.8 million is being distributed to 75 local authorities in England participating in the Programme over the three years, from 2022/23 to 2024/25. The remaining funding is being held centrally to commission a series of national initiatives which will support local delivery, including training programmes for evidence-based parent-infant relationship interventions and access to high-quality clinical supervision for practitioners.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Paediatrics

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what were the average paediatric accident and emergency waiting times on 31 March (a) 2015, (b) 2019 and (c) 2023.

Will Quince: The information requested is not held centrally.

Prescription Drugs

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on taking steps to ensure an adequate supply of prescription drugs in summer 2023.

Will Quince: The Department regularly holds discussions with stakeholders to ensure continuity of supply of medicines to the National Health Service. We have well-established processes to manage and mitigate medicine supply issues, working closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England, Devolved Governments and others operating in the supply chain, to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when they do arise.

Mental Health Services

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure funding for (a) bespoke parent-infant relationship and (b) perinatal mental health support is directed to local services.

Neil O'Brien: 75 local authorities in England are participating in the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. Approximately £92.8 million of the £100 million investment for perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support is being allocated to these local authorities for them to improve their local offer. The Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme Guide sets clear expectations that the money should be used to enhance local services and funding is allocated for activities set out in agreed delivery plans. The Programme Guide is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1096786/Family_Hubs_and_Start_for_Life_programme_guide.pdfThe remaining funding is being held centrally to commission a series of national initiatives to support local delivery. These include training programmes for evidence-based parent infant relationship interventions to improve staff capability and a national centre for supervision that will enable practitioners to access high quality clinical supervision.

Northwick Park Hospital: Hospital Beds

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on arranging capital funding for intensive care bed expansion at Northwick Park Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Will Quince: NHS England are currently allocated an additional £250 million to support trusts to increase capacity and improve flow across urgent and emergency care. Northwick Park made a bid as part of the Urgent Emergency Care (UEC) capital fund for a modular unit to reduce pressure on urgent and emergency care services. The programme allocations will be announced in due course.Investments outside the UEC capital fund would need to be prioritised through the operational capital of integrated care systems.

Dental Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to enable full flexible commissioning of dental services by Integrated Care Boards; and what the evidential basis is for his Department's policy in this area.

Neil O'Brien: From 1 April 2023 the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. The dental regulatory framework is laid out in the General Dental Service contract and Personal Dental Service agreement regulations. The GDS contract and PDS agreement use definitions of Mandatory and Additional services.Commissioners may take advantage of the opportunities offered through Additional Services and Further Services commissioning, previously flexible commissioning, to tailor services to meet local population oral health needs. These are discrete activities which are contractually and legally differentiated from mandatory services.Although we have no current plans for a review of flexible commissioning, NHS England is continuing to monitor the use of the arrangements at the local level.

Haemochromatosis

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients' level of access to testing for genetic haemochromatosis is consistent with the criteria set out in the NHS Genomics Test Directory.

Will Quince: Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, which outlines the full range of genomic testing offered by the NHS and sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing as well as the genomic targets to be tested and the method that should be used, it is applicable nationally, providing a standardised approach.The performance of the GLHs is monitored quarterly through an assurance framework, which ensures all GLHs are operating to national quality standards and identifies and minimises any potential variation, ensuring consistent delivery of the criteria outlined in the National Genomic Test Directory.

Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products: Health Professions

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing advanced therapy medicinal products-specific experts on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence single technology appraisal committees for the evaluation of new innovative advanced therapies.

Will Quince: The Department has made no assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is responsible for appointing members to its technology appraisal committees. Members reflect the spread of interests and expertise required for the business of the committee and are drawn from the National Health Service, patient and carer organisations, academia, and pharmaceutical and medical devices industries.Additional experts may be invited to attend to advise the committee on a topic by topic basis to assist in considering and interpreting the evidence.

Dental Services: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any provision exists within the present NHS dentistry contract for extra payments to be made for each Unit of Dental Activity in areas where those Units cost more to deliver because of higher than average property lease costs.

Neil O'Brien: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have flexibility to work with contractors within the bounds of the current contractual framework as set out in the current General Dental Service contract and Personal Dental Service agreement regulations.At its discretion, an ICB may choose to negotiate with a contractor to decrease or increase the indicative Unit of Dental Activity rate of their contract, Negotiated Annual Contract Value.Any variation should be for reasonable and appropriate circumstances only and demonstrate value for money and improve access for patients.

Dental Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to allow Integrated Care Boards to reallocate dental underspend in line with local patient needs.

Neil O'Brien: From 1 April 2023 responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. NHS England has provided guidance for ICBs that requires dental funding to be ringfenced, with any unused resources re-directed to improve NHS dental access in the first instance. A schedule setting out the dental ringfence has been issued to ICBs. NHS England’s 2023/24 revenue finance and contracting guidance, which provides more detail, is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2023-24-revenue-finance-and-contracting-guidance/

Hospitals: Construction

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the eight new hospitals in Cohort 4 of the New Hospital Programme whose construction has been postponed beyond 2030.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether further hospitals listed under the New Hospital Programme may need to be deferred until after 2030 due to the potential impact of remediation works on hospitals constructed using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Will Quince: We announced on 25 May 2023 that the New Hospital Programme is now expected to be backed by over £20 billion of investment in hospital infrastructure. This announcement now brings more certainty at scheme level to enable them to progress with their plans. We are committed to delivering all schemes that have been announced as part of the New Hospital Programme.Although we anticipate most schemes will be in construction by 2030, up to eight schemes are now expected to complete beyond this date, as the programme prioritises RAAC schemes due to their critical infrastructure risk.These eight schemes are:- St Mary's Hospital, Imperial;- Charing Cross and Hammersmith Hospitals, Imperial;- Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital;- Royal Preston Hospital & Royal Lancaster Infirmary;- Eastbourne District General, Conquest and Bexhill Community Hospitals;- Hampshire Hospitals;- Royal Berkshire Hospital; and- North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple.We do not currently anticipate any further schemes being delayed post 2030. The programme has been transparent that timescales of individual schemes are subject to change in line with the developing programme.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing access to PrEP at community pharmacies.

Neil O'Brien: As part of the HIV Action Plan, we committed to supporting the system to continue to improve access to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention drug pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for key population groups.A PrEP Access and Equity Task and Finish group was established in 2022 as part of the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group comprised of key delivery partners and sector stakeholders. The task and finish group has delivered recommendations on improving PrEP delivery for key population groups, including through community pharmacy, which are currently being considered.

Incontinence

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that patients living with incontinence are (a) able to access a sufficient number of products to meet their clinical needs and (b) not constrained by a limit on supply.

Will Quince: Continence care needs may be managed by individuals in a range of ways. Products can be bought from supermarkets, pharmacies or mail order and are available on prescription under the National Health Service. For a continence product to be able to be prescribed, it must be listed on ‘Part IX’ of the Drug Tariff.There are over 3,000 listed continence products on Part IX available to be prescribed. Of these, over 1,700 are catheters. On application to Part IX, an assessment of products is made to check they are safe and of good quality, are appropriate for prescribing and are cost-effective. These products can all be prescribed where the clinician is assured that the clinical condition warrants a prescription.We are not aware of any current supply disruptions and the Department works closely with the Devolved Administrations, NHS England, NHS Supply Chain, and suppliers to maintain continuity of supply across a broad range of products to minimise the impact of any potential supply disruptions on patient care.  The Department proactively monitors supply conditions and engages extensively with industry to proactively identify potential threats to the supply of medical equipment.

Obesity: Drugs

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish further details on his Department's plans for evaluating the potential impact of making new obesity drugs accessible to patients living with obesity outside of hospital settings on (a) employment outcomes and (b) health-related benefit caseloads.

Neil O'Brien: The Department and NHS England are working with the National Institute for Health and Care Research to ensure that a robust evaluation of the weight loss drug pilots takes place. Exact details of the evaluation will be determined once the pilot design is finalised.

NHS: Industrial Disputes

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral evidence session of 9 May 2023 of the Health and Social Care Committee on Industrial action in the NHS, HC 1341, if he will make it his policy to prioritise holding local negotiations during public service industrial action.

Will Quince: When strike action takes place NHS England works with providers, professional bodies, trade unions and other bodies to agree the safe level of cover for days when industrial action is taking place. Even when these rigorous contingency plans are in place, the risk of industrial action endangering the lives and health of patients and the public remains if we continue to rely on a patchwork of locally agreed voluntary derogations from strike action. These derogations are often not confirmed until very late in the day, or indeed might not materialise on strike days as they are voluntary, and staff and unions can withdraw these.The Government has consulted on whether minimum service levels should be in place for ambulance services during strike action. The consultation closed and we are considering the responses. As strike action is now increasingly being taken without voluntary derogations being agreed by unions, whether at a local or national level, the Government is now considering whether to consult on introducing minimum service levels for a wider range of health services in order to protect the lives and health of the public.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis action plan.

Neil O'Brien: As part of our HIV Action Plan implementation, we are working together with key stakeholders to improve access to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention drug pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for key population groups. The HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group is working to develop a roadmap, based on the PrEP Access and Equity Task and Finish group’s recommendations, to help guide our efforts to improve equitable access to PrEP for key populations, including in settings other than specialist sexual health services.

Heart Diseases: Health Education

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing societal awareness of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillator use to improve survival rates in response to cardiac arrest in (a) homes, (b) workplaces and (c) public spaces.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of improving access to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation training and Automated External Defibrillators in more deprived areas of the country where incidences of cardiac arrest are higher.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made of the potential merits of improving access to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation training and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in more deprived areas of the country where incidences of cardiac arrest are higher. Similarly, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of increasing societal awareness of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and AED use to improve survival rates in response to cardiac arrest in homes, workplaces and public spaces.The Government has agreed to provide funding of £1 million to design a grant scheme for the expansion of AEDs that expands the number and accessibility of publicly supported access to defibrillators.

Armed Forces: Charities

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Digital Transformation Fund.

Helen Whately: The Adult Social Care Digital Transformation Fund helps care providers to digitise by providing financial support for the adoption of Digital Social Care Records (DSCRs) and other care technologies. This fund is part of the Digitising Social Care programme, which delivers commitments set out in People at the Heart of Care. So far, we have invested almost £50 million to help care providers digitise and will invest a further £100 million over the next two years.Since the programme’s inception, adoption of DSCRs has increased from a baseline of 40% in December 2021 to more than 50% now. DSCRs have been shown to deliver significant productivity benefits, releasing up 20 minutes per care worker per shift on average. The programme works with teams in the integrated care systems across England to develop plans, track uptake of technology and collect evidence on the impact of this work.

Urinary Tract Infections: Medical Treatments

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse was of NHS treatment for people admitted to hospital with urinary tract infections in each financial year between 2018-19 and 2021-22.

Helen Whately: The information requested is not held centrally.

Cancer: Young People

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure the Major Conditions Strategy’s cancer section will include a specific focus on the unique care and support needs of teenagers and young people with cancer.

Helen Whately: The Major Conditions Strategy will take a life-course approach to tackling major conditions which will include ways to prevent ill-health from individuals' early years. We are taking an evidence-based approach to decide where and how interventions are made to achieve this and we are engaging with stakeholders representing children and young people to ensure their views are considered in the development of the strategy.

HIV Infection: Disease Control

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce HIV transmissions in rural and coastal areas.

Neil O'Brien: Local authorities in England are responsible for commissioning open access sexual and reproductive health services, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, through the Public Health Grant, funded at £3.5 billion in 2023/24.  It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need and to commission the service lines that best suit their population.As part of the Government’s HIV Action Plan, a low prevalence area task and finish group was established in 2023. This group will provide evidence on HIV control strategies in low prevalence areas, including understanding the impact of rurality on systems and patients. They will present their recommendations to the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group, who will agree how the advice will be taken forward.

Palliative Care

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the availability of access to palliative care by (a) geography, (b) socioeconomic status and (c) each protected characteristic.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made. Palliative and end of life care is commissioned locally by integrated care boards in response to the needs of their local population.

Rheumatology: Feltham and Heston

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the provision of rheumatology care in Feltham and Heston constituency in the last (a) 12 and (b) 24 months.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. Rheumatology services are generally commissioned locally by integrated care boards to meet the needs of their population.

Palliative Care

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) funding for palliative care services and (b) the commissioning of palliative care services by integrated care boards.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. Palliative and end of life care is commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) in response to the needs of their local population and an assessment would need to be done at local level. NHS England formally oversees ICBs and has a legal duty to annually assess and publish the performance of each ICB. In addition, Care Quality Commission system assessments provide an independent assurance to the public and Parliament.

Healthy Start Scheme

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2023 to Question 185900 on Healthy Start Scheme, how much funding was provided to his Department for the Healthy Start scheme in 2021-22; and what was the forecasted number of families on the scheme during this time.

Neil O'Brien: The cost of operating the Healthy Start scheme in 2021/22 was £78,148,555. Departmental forecasts of the number of families on the scheme during this time are not available.

Rheumatology

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to specialised psychology services for rheumatology patients.

Helen Whately: All local areas are expected to commission NHS Talking Therapies services which provide integrated psychological therapies for people with long-term health conditions including rheumatic conditions. As highlighted in the specialist service specification for rheumatology, a multidisciplinary approach is expected, and rheumatology teams work closely with other specialties, often involving joint clinics, including psychology and psychiatry services.

Coronavirus: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how funding his Department (a) allocated and (b) disbursed to Enfield Council as part of the Infection Control Fund.

Helen Whately: The Infection Control Funds were introduced in May 2020 to support adult social care providers to reduce the rate of COVID-19 transmissions in and between care homes. The below table summarises the amounts of funding allocated and disbursed to Enfield Council across all Infection Control Funds, which ran until March 2022:Fund nameFund time spanFunding allocated and disbursed to Enfield CouncilInfection Control FundMay 2020 to September 2020£2,478,334.00Infection Control Fund 2October 2020 to March 2021£2,527,930.00Rapid Testing FundDecember 2020 to March 2021£598,841.00Infection Control and Testing FundApril 2021 to June 2021£1,655,036.00Infection Control and Testing Fund 2July 2021 to September 2021£1,215,691.00Infection Control and Testing Fund 3October 2021 to March 2022£1,854,998.00Omicron Support FundJan-22£324,659.00  Total £10,655,489.00

Semaglutide

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 7 June 2023 HCWS831 on Public Health Update, whether he has made an estimate of the number of patients who will be eligible for Semaglutide in each year of the pilot.

Neil O'Brien: The precise number of patients to be included in each year of the pilot will be finalised in due course, along with the service models being tested. In addition to Semaglutide (Wegovy), the pilots are expected to include Tirzepatide, subject to this receiving a license and approval from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and launching in the United Kingdom.

Hospitals: Parking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing hospital car parking charges for all NHS employees employed in front-line patient care.

Will Quince: National Health Service staff working overnight already benefit from free hospital car parking as part of the Government's manifesto commitment to provide free parking for in-need groups. There are no plans to extend that to NHS staff parking at other times. During the COVID-19 pandemic we provided free hospital car parking for all NHS staff, however there was significantly less pressure on limited carparking capacity during that time.

Semaglutide

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 7 June 2023 entitled Public Health Update, HCWS831, how many doses of Semaglutide his Department plans to purchase for these pilots.

Will Quince: We will work with NHS England to ensure appropriate supply of the relevant drugs. This is expected to include Semaglutide (Wegovy) once launched in the United Kingdom and Tirzepatide if licenced and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved.

Hospital Beds

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what hospital bed capacity levels were in each trust in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: Trust level bed availability and occupancy data is published quarterly by NHS England. The latest data is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/bed-data-overnight/

Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government supports provisions in the proposed international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response on (a) public interest conditions on public research &and development funding, b() price transparency and (c) tech transfer of end products.

Will Quince: As negotiations on the pandemic instrument are live and in their early stages, we cannot comment on the details of the United Kingdom’s negotiating position. Driving access to safe, affordable essential medical countermeasures is a key priority for the UK in these negotiations, as is ensuring that measures incentivise innovation to strengthen research and development. Officials are working with international partners and non-state actors to ensure the instrument improves access to vaccines, drugs and tests, while also supporting the life sciences sector.We have also been clear that the UK will not sign up to a pandemic instrument or any instrument that would compromise the UK’s ability to make domestic decisions on national measures concerning public health policy.

Leader of the House

House of Lords: Legislation

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to programme business to help prevent a build-up of legislation in the House of Lords.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government has brought forward an ambitious legislative programme, with 24 bills currently before Parliament, and we will continue to make progress. So far this session 40 bills have been exchanged between the Houses, of which 24 have received Royal Assent.The arrangement of business in the House of Lords is a matter for that place. I will announce future business in the House of Commons in the usual way.

Transport

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Leader of the House, pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2023 to Question 187539 on Legislation, when the Government plans to bring forward the Transport bill.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government has brought forward an ambitious legislative programme, with 24 bills currently before Parliament. Future business will be announced in the usual way.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Air Pollution: Methane

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the UK's methane emissions (a) were in each of the last five years and (b) are estimated to be in each year to 2030.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of whether the UK will (a) reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 relative to 2020 levels and (b) exceed that target.

Graham Stuart: Methane emissions for each of the last 5 years is set out in the published UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory [https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/final-uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-national-statistics-1990-to-2021] which shows that in 2021 UK methane emissions were 57.0Mt CO2-equivalent, 62% below 1990 levels. The latest projections of UK emissions, provided in the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, do not include year-by-year estimates to 2030. The approach to methane reduction set out here and in the UK’s Methane Memorandum is consistent with the Government's commitment under the Global Methane Pledge. The global methane pledge is a global reduction target to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 relative to 2020 levels.

Animal Feed: Methane

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s paper entitled Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, published 30 March 2023, what discussions he has had with the Food Standards Agency on (a) the timescale and (b) process of approving methane suppressing feed products for livestock; and what discussions has he had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on farmers’ willingness to use methane reducing supplements.

Graham Stuart: The Domestic and Economic Affairs (Energy, Climate and Net Zero) Cabinet Committee and supporting governance structures provide forums to discuss how different sectors, including agriculture, contribute to our carbon budgets. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero is the deputy chair of this Committee, which my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs attends as do I. A call for evidence on methane suppressing feed products closed in November 2022. The Government will publish further details in the summary of responses later this year.

Offshore Industry: North Sea

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many locations in the North Sea which the UK has licensed for oil and gas (a) exploration and (b) extraction overlap with (i) Marine Protected Areas and (ii) the Arctic region as defined by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme.

Graham Stuart: The environmental impact of proposed offshore oil and gas developments is subject to rigorous regulatory assessment by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED), including a full environmental impact assessment and consultation with statutory nature protection bodies and the public. The North Sea Transition Authority has published an interactive map of where oil and gas licences are on the UK Continental Shelf which can be found here.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2023 to Question 186589, what steps he plans to take to set out that formal vision for the Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage sector.

Graham Stuart: The Government plans to engage with key stakeholders across the sectors of hydrogen, power, industry and greenhouse gas removals. The Government will use this engagement to help develop its vision for the CCUS sector in the 2030s and there are plans to set out the vision later this year.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme: Schools

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the retrofitting measures fitted in schools through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Graham Stuart: There are two ongoing evaluations for the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme underway, covering comprehensive process, impact, and value-for-money evaluations of Phases 1 and 3. Evaluation activity for Phase 2, proportionate to its size and budget, is integrated across the two contracts. Findings of these evaluations, including consideration of the effectiveness of retrofitting measures in light of the scheme objectives, will be published in due course. There is inevitably some time lag before this work can be carried out, allowing for project installation and commissioning to be completed and data to be collected, usually for at least a full heating season post-completion.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme: Schools

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on changes in the level of (a) carbon emissions and (b) energy bills in schools that had retrofitting measures fitted through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Graham Stuart: Published estimates of carbon savings from Phase 1, 2 and 3 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-and-emissions-projections-2021-to-2040. These carbon impacts are forecasts based on economic modelling. Financial savings were not projected as these were not included in application data. There are two ongoing evaluations of PSDS, covering process, impact, and value-for-money evaluations of Phases 1 to 3. Findings of these evaluations, including consideration of carbon impacts and energy cost savings will be published in due course.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme: Schools

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which retrofitting was most commonly fitted to schools through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in (a) Phase 1, (b) Phase 2 and (c) Phase 3.

Graham Stuart: A wide range of technologies is funded through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to support heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency. These include but are not limited to heat pumps, solar panels, insulation, LED lighting, electrical upgrades and building energy management systems. Evaluations of the Scheme including the analysis of the technologies installed by sector are ongoing and will be published in due course.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme: Schools

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what proportion of schools have had retrofitting measures fitted through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme through (a) Phase 1, (b) Phase 2, and (c) Phase 3.

Graham Stuart: In Phases 1, 2 and 3a of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, 176 schools received grants to decarbonise and install energy efficiency measures, making up 24% of the total number of grants. This does not include schools that are managed by local authorities. Phase 3b of the scheme is ongoing. Information on all the grants made though the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-sector-decarbonisation-scheme.

Air Pollution: Methane

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of bringing forward the ban on routine flaring and venting from 2030 to 2025 on levels of methane emissions.

Graham Stuart: The Government recognises that eliminating routine flaring and venting is a priority. The upstream oil and gas sector contributes approximately 1.6% of UK methane emissions, compared to 30% from waste and 49% from agriculture. Through the ambitious North Sea Transition Deal, industry has committed to accelerate compliance with the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring 2030 Initiative. Good progress is being made - the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) reported a 50% reduction in flaring since 2018 and a 13% drop last year. Furthermore, the NSTA expects all new developments to be planned and developed with zero routine flaring and venting.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

Graham Stuart: Occupancy data for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is combined with the data for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology for those staff previously employed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). This is due to the Machinery of Government changes forming both Departments in February 2023. In May 2023, the occupancy rates for former BEIS headquarters were as follows:Week commencing 01 May 2023Week commencing 08 May 2023Week commencing 15 May 2023Week commencing 22 May 202348%58%66%58%

Biofuels: Carbon Emissions

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the biomass strategy will be published; and what steps that strategy will take to help achieve the UK's net zero targets.

Graham Stuart: The Department plans to publish the Biomass Strategy before summer recess. The Strategy will review how sustainable biomass could be best utilised across the economy to help achieve the Government’s Net Zero and wider environmental commitments, while also supporting energy security.

Schools: Carbon Emissions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Summary Reports for (a) Phase 1 and (b) Phase 2, for what reason 628 for Phase 1 (b) 83 for Phase 2 difference in the number of applications from schools and the umber of grants awarded to schools.

Graham Stuart: The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme attracts a huge amount of interest and a high number of applications from public sector organisations including schools. Our delivery partner, Salix Finance Limited, reviews all applications through rigorous quality checks and technical assessments to provide assurance that the projects are deliverable. Applications that are successful in assessment are then awarded grants based on a first come, first served basis, until the available budget is fully allocated.

Marine Protected Areas: Offshore Industry

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, Security and Net Zero what assessment he has made of the potential impact of allowing new oil and gas (a) licenses and (b) developments on the (i) health of Marine Protected Areas and (ii) target to protect 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030.

Graham Stuart: The Government has undertaken an Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment (OESEA4) of a draft plan for licensing and leasing areas for future offshore energy developments including offshore oil and gas, in relevant waters of the UK Continental Shelf. In advance of any licence award, a further Habitats Regulations and Marine Protected Area/Marine Conservation Zone Assessment will be undertaken. Development proposals for offshore oil and gas are dealt with by the relevant regulators; the North Sea Transition Authority and the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). As part of the regulatory process, OPRED considers the Environmental Impact Assessment for development proposals to ensure the impact on the environment, including marine protected areas is taken into account.

District Heating: Finance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Heat Networks Investment Project grant.

Graham Stuart: The Department has commissioned Risk Solutions, in conjunction with the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, to carry out an independent evaluation of the Heat Networks Investment Project. The final report is expected to be published later in the summer.

Power Stations: Timber

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make it his policy to end subsidies for power stations generating electricity from burning wood.

Graham Stuart: The Government has no plans to remove support for biomass generating stations that are already supported under the Renewables Obligation (RO) and the Contract for Difference (CfD). Such generators undertook their investments in establishing their stations under these schemes and have a statutory right to their existing support.

UK Emissions Trading Scheme

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to publish a response to the Developing the UK Emissions Trading Scheme consultation, published 25 March 2022; and whether he plans to take steps to help ensure the international competitiveness of UK manufacturers at risk of carbon leakage.

Graham Stuart: Industrial participants in the UK ETS are provided with free allocations, reducing their exposure to the carbon price and mitigating the risk of carbon leakage. In a recent consultation the Government guaranteed free allocations at current levels until 2026, and as part of an ongoing review is looking at how to target support to sectors most at risk of carbon leakage. The UK ETS Authority will publish a response to the March 2022 consultation in due course. The Government is also consulting on wider carbon leakage mitigations such as a carbon border adjustment mechanism and mandatory product standards.

Electricity: Storage

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy's publication entitled Facilitating the deployment of large-scale and long-duration electricity storage, published 3 August 2022, when his Department will announce the next steps it is taking to introduce large-scale, long-duration electricity storage by 2024; and whether this will be open to consultation.

Andrew Bowie: As outlined in the Powering Up Britain and British Energy Security Strategy we will put in place an appropriate framework by 2024 to enable investment in large scale long duration electricity storage (LLES), with the goal of deploying sufficient storage capacity to balance the overall system. We are currently undertaking the next phase of policy development to assess what policy approach is best suited to enable investment in LLES projects and anticipate further consultation with stakeholders later this year.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Islamic State: Yazidis

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on steps to help secure the release of Yazidi women and girls abducted by Deash.

David Rutley: We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Yazidi women and girls in Syria and Iraq. The UK led the UN Security Council to establish the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) which has supported the Government of Iraq look for missing Yazidi women and girls. We continue to use our position at the UN to raise the plight of the Yazidi community, most recently at a UNITAD council session on 7 June.We also advocated for the passing of the Iraqi Yazidi Survivors Law, an important step toward assistance and justice for survivors of sexual violence by Daesh. The UK is committed to helping Iraq fully implement the legislation, including providing funding support to the Directorate of Yazidi Affairs. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met Yazidi communities and leaders to hear their experiences and reiterate UK support during his recent visit to Iraq.

Cameroon: Peace Negotiations

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the authorities in Cameroon on the potential merits of participation in the peace process facilitated by the Government of Canada; and whether his Department has offered support to the Government of Cameroon in relation to participation in that peace process.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Inclusive dialogue is critical to achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the North-West South-West regions of Cameroon. The Minister of State for Development and Africa [Minister Mitchell] highlighted this during his visit to Cameroon in April 2023, in meetings with members of the Cameroonian Government including with the Prime Minister and Secretary General to the Presidency. He also pressed the importance of a negotiated peaceful solution and reiterated the UK's commitment to responding to the impacts of the conflict with humanitarian assistance. We have continued to raise these points with the Cameroonian Government and partners in subsequent engagements.

Morocco: Intimidation

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of (a) the implications for its policies and (b) diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Morocco in respect of allegations of physical intimidation against a Sahrawi representative at a celebration of African unity in Canberra.

David Rutley: The UK has not made any assessment of this incident. The UK's long-held position on Western Sahara remains as set out in my [Minister Rutley's] answer of 22 May (UIN 185142) to the Member for Stockport's question of 15 May. We enjoy a wide-ranging and positive bilateral relationship with Morocco, one which sees increasing cooperation in areas such as regional security, education, trade and investment, and defence and security, recently demonstrated during the UK-Morocco Strategic Dialogue in May 2023. The Joint Declaration following this meeting is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/morocco-uk-strategic-dialogue-session-4-joint-declaration-2023/fourth-session-of-the-moroccan-uk-strategic-dialogue-and-second-session-of-the-association-council-of-the-uk-morocco-association-agreement-joint-decl.

Russia: Sanctions

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of individuals sanctioned by Ukrainian authorities in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine not sanctioned in the UK; and whether his Department is taking steps to work bilaterally with its Ukrainian counterparts on strengthening the sanctions regime.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Since the start of the invasion, the UK has sanctioned over 1,600 individuals and entities, including 29 banks with global assets worth £1 trillion, and over 140 oligarchs with a combined net worth of over £145 billion. We work in close coordination with international partners on sanctions. As President Zelensky said during his visit, we have formed a "powerful sanctions coalition", unleashing the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. Working with our allies, the UK remains committed to ratcheting up the pressure on Russia until a just peace is achieved in Ukraine.

Africa: Higher Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to utilise UK research collaborations with African universities to support social and economic development on that continent.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: UK research collaborations with African universities support extensive development on the continent. We partner with other Government Departments to deliver a whole of UK approach across a broad range of issues. On energy, we collaborate with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology to support UK-Africa research partnerships to develop clean energy solutions to address energy poverty on the continent. On health, we work with the Hygiene Hub at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, alongside Africa CDC, the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia and the Malawi University for Business and Applied Sciences to prevent the spread of transmissible diseases including covid-19 and cholera.

Corruption

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funding his Department plans to allocate to the UK Action Against Corruption Programme over the next two years; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes in funding for the programme on (a) the UK’s ability to combat corruption in recipient countries of UK official development assistance (ODA) and (b) the public revenue lost to corruption in ODA-eligible countries.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Transnational illicit finance is a growing threat with grave human costs. It fuels conflict and organised crime and deprives developing countries of vital resources. As outlined in the Integrated Review Refresh 2023, the UK is championing global efforts to ensure that revenues and assets lost to illicit finance are identified and recovered, so that low- and middle-income countries can self-finance their own development.

Uganda: LGBT+ People

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April to Question 176822 on Uganda: LGBT+ People, what recent representations he has made (a) to the Ugandan Government and (b) in UN fora on the issue of anti LGBTQ+ legislation.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In my meeting with the Ugandan Foreign Minister on 4 May 2023 and High Commissioner on 1 June 2023, I argued strongly against the passage of this Bill. The Prime Minister has also spoken with the Foreign Minister, as has the Foreign Secretary with the High Commissioner. The UK firmly condemns the introduction of the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality'.Through the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), the UK and likeminded partners have engaged in constructive conversations with UN Agencies, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The ERC issued a collective statement following the legislation's adoption, calling on the Government of Uganda to recognise the protections and freedoms of all Ugandans, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Uganda: LGBT+ People

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in Uganda who have been (a) charged, (b) imprisoned and (c) sentenced to death under anti-LGBTQ+ legislation since the introduction of that legislation.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: I condemn the Government of Uganda's enactment of the deeply discriminatory Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023, in particular the introduction of the death penalty for so-called 'aggravated homosexuality'. I strongly urge the Government of Uganda to protect the rights and freedoms of all Ugandans under the constitution.As of 8 June 2023, we are not aware of anyone being charged, imprisoned or sentenced to death under the Anti-Homosexuality Act since its implementation on 30 May 2023. Regarding prior anti-LGBT+ legislation, this has existed since the colonial era penal code, which criminalised 'unnatural acts' but did not impose the death penalty. We have no reliable information on those charged or imprisoned under previous anti-LGBT+ legislation.

Africa: Science and Innovation Network

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the UK Science and Innovation Network in Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In Africa, the Science and Innovation Network has delivered a refreshed UK-South Africa science and tech cooperation through an MoU signed during the State visit last November. In March 2023 we agreed an action plan to realise mutual objectives of the UK and South Africa including cooperation in space, health, environment, and energy. At the Kenya Innovation Week in December 2022, the UK was awarded the Innovation Development Partner of the Year award, recognising our long-term, strategic engagement with the Kenyan Government on science and innovation, including the development of a digital platform connecting young tech talent to businesses and government.

East Africa: Humanitarian Aid

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the changes to the level of humanitarian support from £156m in 2022-23 to £114.7m in 2023-24 on people in East Africa; for what reason the level of funding has changed; if he will make it his policy to increase the funding available for this financial year to 2022-23 levels; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: On May 24, I [Minister Mitchell] announced £143 million humanitarian support for people affected by food insecurity, drought, conflict and climate change in East Africa. The funding includes: £42 million for Ethiopia, £5.8 million for Kenya, £48 million for Somalia, £18.9 million for South Sudan, £21.7 million for Sudan and £7 million for Uganda.The £143 million is part of a wider bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocation for East and Central Africa of £389.8 million as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 30 March 2023. This is helping millions of vulnerable people, including women and girls, to access healthcare, education and livelihoods opportunities.

Developing Countries: Debts Written Off

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Seventh Report of the International Development Committee, HC 146, published on 28 February 2023, whether his Department plans to introduce legislative proposals to cancel debt in (a) Pakistan and (b) low income countries across the world.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK plays a leadership role in international discussions on developing country debt. Where a country requests debt relief the UK works with its international partners, the G20 and Paris Club, to negotiate a treatment that returns a country to debt sustainability, and presses for this to be swift.The UK, alongside international partners, expect private creditors to participate in debt restructurings on terms at least as favourable as bilateral (i.e. country) creditors.At this time, the Government is focused on delivering a market-based (contractual) approach to private sector participation, for example recently developing Majority Voting Provisions for private loans.

East Africa: Women

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of humanitarian aid spending by his Department in East Africa on women and girls in that region.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Women and girls are disproportionately affected by crises. In East Africa there is significant evidence to show the gendered impacts of drought, conflict and other humanitarian pressures.Across East Africa UK humanitarian programmes support women and girls with access to nutrition services, maternal healthcare, access to education and gender-based violence prevention and support services. This is aligned with our commitments in the International Development Strategy on both women and girls and humanitarian action.

Sudan: Refugees

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Government provides to people forcibly displaced from Sudan to third countries with time limited visas to remain in the third country.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: On 4 May, the Government announced £5 million of life-saving aid to help meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad who have fled the violence in Sudan. The UK will provide assistance such as safe drinking water, food, medical care and shelter to people in need, as well as supporting Gender Based Violence protective services. It is a longstanding principle of the Government that those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. The Government's current refugee resettlement schemes allow the UK to support the most vulnerable refugees direct from regions of conflict and instability. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic avenues to end the violence in Sudan, to de-escalate tensions and to secure humanitarian access.

Development Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of the Official Development Assistance budget has been spent on global public goods in each of the last five years.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: FCDO Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations have been guided by the priorities set out in the International Development Strategy. This means focusing on the poorest and most vulnerable, prioritising humanitarian programmes, women and girls work, climate, and British Investment Partnerships.UK ODA data is published in Statistics on International Development (SID) and is available on GOV.UK for 2017 to 2021, including information on the sector(s) targeted (Table A7: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1135043/Table-A7.ods).For further details, see data underlying the SID publication: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1133429/data-underlying-SID-2021.ods and the user guide: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1119474/Data-guide-SID-2021.xlsx.

Sudan: Refugees

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support British citizens who were forcibly displaced from Sudan to third countries to return to the UK.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support forcibly displaced Sudanese citizens who have immediate family members who are British citizens.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Since 25 April, the UK has supported the departure of 2,450 people, including British nationals and dependants and other eligible nationals out of Sudan. The British Embassy in Khartoum is temporarily closed and the UK Government is only able to provide limited consular assistance to British nationals still in Sudan, communicating through our telephone consular helpline and Travel Advice updates. British nationals who have left by alternative means to neighbouring countries are receiving full consular support if needed. Sudanese nationals who have travelled to a third country and wish to join family members in the UK will need to apply for a visa, if they do not already have the right to enter the UK. Further information can be found online at GOV.UK.

Sudan: Refugees

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Government provides to children forcibly displaced from Sudan to third countries.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: On 4 May, the Government announced £5 million of life-saving aid to help meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad who have fled the violence in Sudan. The UK aims to protect and prioritise the most vulnerable people when crises occur. In South Sudan, £1.5 million was allocated to World Food Programme (WFP) for food in border areas, and £500,000 to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for Gender Based Violence protection services. In Chad, £1.5 million was allocated to WFP to preposition food before seasonal floods, and £1 million to the Sahel Regional Fund to support urgent assistance and protection by NGOs. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund and the Red Cross Disaster Response Emergency Fund, and START Fund, all of which the UK contributes to, have activated for Sudan and the region to provide assistance to those in desperate need.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Sanitation

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on (a) water, (b) sanitation and (c) hygiene projects in the financial year 2022-23.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 07 MAR 2023 to Question 154012. [https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-06-02/187224]. The Government aims to publish details of UK Aid spending for 2022 in the Statistics on International Development report in November 2023.

Refugees: Development Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance has the UK provided to the Window for Host Communities and Refugees programme in each of the last five years.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Window for Host Communities and Refugees (WHR) is a window within the International Development Association (IDA; part of the World Bank Group), created in IDA18 (the eighteenth replenishment of IDA) to deliver support to refugees and host communities. The UK was the largest donor to IDA18 (2017-20) and IDA19 (2021-22), with contributions of £2.52 billion and £3.06 billion. Of the total IDA18 envelope of $75 billion, $1.9 billion was channelled through this window. For IDA19, $1.3 billion was channelled from a $71 billion envelope.

Venezuela: Organised Crime

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to the Venezuelan government on tackling criminal gangs in Caracas.

David Rutley: The UK Government does not provide any support to tackle criminal gangs in Caracas. The UK does work with countries in the region to combat organised crime groups. In my statement at the UN Security Council on 11 January, I [Minister Rutley] welcomed Colombian Government-led efforts to secure a ceasefire with armed groups, many of which are fighting for control of illicit economies, including illegal mining in Venezuela which has become an important source of revenue for criminal gangs.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

David Rutley: Like many other Civil Service departments, the FCDO is operating a hybrid working model requiring average office attendance of 40-60 percent - although many staff work in the office every day due to the nature of their work. Our hybrid approach is supported by a broader Smarter Working agenda to ensure our estate, IT, culture and working practices are set up to enable effective cross-site working. The FCDO does not use occupancy rates as a measure of productivity. The FCDO is committed to ensuring staff are supported to deliver effectively across all its UK locations.

International Waters: Marine Environment

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the UK’s obligations to protect marine habitats in international waters.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK complies with its obligations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to protect and preserve the marine environment. The UK played a key role in securing a landmark international Agreement to Protect Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) in March 2023. We will continue to play a leading role in implementation, including supporting developing countries. The Agreement will help to achieve the target to effectively conserve and manage at least 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. We support the work of regional seas bodies such as the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, which has designated ten Marine Protected Areas in the high seas, and are a signatory to the Hamilton Declaration on Collaboration for the Conservation of the Sargasso Sea.

Biodiversity: Diplomatic Relations

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help ensure the UK plays a global leadership role in protecting biodiversity.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government and FCDO's diplomatic network was instrumental in helping secure the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in December 2022. This included developing and co-launching the 10 Point Plan for Financing Biodiversity, endorsed by over forty countries. The UK also played a key role in securing a landmark international Agreement to Protect Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction in March 2023. In line with the vision set out in the 2030 Strategic Framework for International Climate and Nature Action we will use our diplomatic network and international influence to drive forward action to halt and reverse global nature loss.

Deep Sea Mining

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of signing an international moratorium on deep sea mining.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK recognises the growing pressure to extract deep-sea resources, and is deeply worried about the potential impacts of mining activities on the fragile marine environment. The UK's policy is not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems, and strong enforceable environmental Regulations, Standards and Guidelines have been developed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and are in place. The UK's approach is both precautionary and conditional.

Israel: Foreign Relations

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to strengthen the relationship between the UK and Israel.

David Rutley: On 21 March, Foreign Minister Cohen and the Foreign Secretary signed the 2030 bilateral roadmap, which sets out how we will strengthen our cooperation over the coming years. We are delighted that negotiations to upgrade our trade agreement, launched last year, with two rounds of negotiations now completed.

Sustainable Development

Theo Clarke: To ask the Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made on meeting the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Following numerous overlapping crises, achieving the SDGs and alleviating poverty is more pressing than ever. The UK is committed to achieving the SDGs and the alleviation of poverty, as affirmed in the International Development Strategy and the Integrated Review Refresh.

Windsor Framework

Stephen Farry: To ask the Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made on the implementation of the Windsor Framework.

Leo Docherty: The Government is committed to implementing the Windsor Framework in full. We are in frequent communication with key stakeholders and businesses in Northern Ireland, providing the guidance and support they need to ensure they are ready to implement the Framework in full.

Balkans: Politics and Government

Wayne David: To ask the Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the security situation in the western Balkans.

Leo Docherty: We condemn the recent unprovoked attack on NATO troops in northern Kosovo. We are pressing for urgent de-escalation of these latest tensions. The Foreign Secretary discussed the situation with Prime Minister Kurti on 8 June. The Prime Minister’s Envoy Lord Peach spoke to President Vucic on 7 June and visited Kosovo on 30 May. The Foreign Secretary will see the Serbian Prime Minister later today.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to mark the seventh anniversary of the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.

Leo Docherty: On 23 June 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union. Since leaving the EU, we have made progress in many areas both as an independent nation and through continued partnership with the EU, including on Ukraine. We are committed to maximising the opportunities of the TCA and working with our European partners to tackle global threats and challenges.

Sudan: Aviation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many seats were empty on each evacuation flight from Sudan since 25 April 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Between the 15 April and 3 May, the UK supported the departure of 2,450 people, including British nationals, dependants and other eligible nationals in the largest Western lead evacuation operation. We do not have a number for empty seats, our priority throughout was to ensure maximum capacity on every plane within the usual operational constraints (for example safe loading weight and broader security considerations).

North Korea: Sanctions

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international counterparts to prevent North Korea from committing sanctions violations.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We are clear that until the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) returns to dialogue, all countries must fully implement United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions, including the enforcement of sanctions agreed by the UNSC to curtail the DPRK's prohibited programmes. The UK has stationed two offshore patrol vessels, HMS Tamar and HMS SPEY, which have conducted multiple enforcement operations in the Indo-Pacific against illicit DPRK maritime activity to uphold the rules based international order.

Home Office

Home Office: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on her Department's performance during May 2023.

Chris Philp: The Home Office operates from over 200 locations across the UK. The Home Office headquarters is 2 Marsham Street in London, but this accounts for a very small proportion of Home Office staffing. The Home Office continues to reduce its central London footprint moving roles to other parts of the UK as part of the Governments Places for Growth agenda.Home Office staff conducts a wide range of roles requiring varying levels of attendance at the workplace. Our hybrid working model means that all staff, whose role permits, have the ability to work from home for a proportion of their working hours.The Home Office continues to deliver for the public on our priorities.

Proscribed Organisations: Russia

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits to prescribing all private military companies operating on behalf of the Russian Government in Ukraine as terrorist organisations.

Tom Tugendhat: Whilst the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.The Government remains concerned about Russia's use of private military companies such as the Wagner Group. We take the provision of mercenaries and other military support to parties in conflicts such as Libya, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere very seriously. We continue to work closely with our international partners to counter Russian malign activity and respond to actions that undermine the rules based international system.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to extend the availability of share codes to parents with EU settled status whose children have a British Passport.

Robert Jenrick: All EU, EEA and Swiss citizens granted pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme are now able to prove their rights in the UK digitally, by using the View and Prove service on GOV.UK to generate a share code, instead of using physical documents. Non-EU, EEA or Swiss citizen family members who have a UKVI account can also use the View and Prove service.British citizens will continue to evidence their rights by providing their passport or other acceptable documents, such as a UK birth or adoption certificate, or a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen.

Visas: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) speed of processing and (b) adequacy of the visa application process for overseas research partners visiting UK universities.

Robert Jenrick: UKVI encourages all customers to apply in good time ahead of intended travel dates. Customers can also make use of UKVI’s optional priority visa services for visit visas in certain locations. UKVI is currently operating inside all published service standards for straightforward Visit visa applications. These are: - Super Priority (24 hours)- Priority (5 working days)- Standard (3 weeks) UKVI updates any changes to its current wait times regularly on .GOV- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visa-processing-times-applications-outside-the-uk#visit-visas UKVI regularly reviews its processes throughout the year using feedback from a variety of sources. It is also continuing to invest in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives which will speed up and simplify decision making, reduce the time people spend in the system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision.

Animal Experiments: Cosmetics

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to revoke existing licenses which allow companies to test exclusive-use cosmetics ingredients on animals.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government is engaging with the relevant companies to urgently determine a way forward on legacy licences.

Police: Vetting

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of vetting of police staff.

Chris Philp: All police forces in England and Wales carry out their vetting, for both officers and staff, in accordance with the College of Policing’s vetting code of practice and vetting authorised professional practice (APP) guidance. The Home Secretary has asked the College of Policing to strengthen its vetting code in order to make the obligations all Chiefs must have due regard to stricter and clearer. This will be laid in Parliament following standard approval processes.On 11 May, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published findings of the Home Secretary commissioned rapid review of forces’ progress against its November 2022 vetting, misconduct and misogyny inspection. This included a review of vetting decision-making in cases which contained adverse information, involving both police officers and staff. The report highlighted that progress is being made but forces must continue to demonstrate their commitment to strengthening vetting processes.

Visas: Africa

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many researchers from African countries (a) applied for and (b) were granted UK visas as part of scientific research collaborations with a UK institution in each of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested is not held in a reportable format and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost to the Department.

Police: Workplace Pensions

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2023 to Question 186612 on Police: Workplace Pensions, if she will make it her policy to seek information on the number of serving police officers who opted out of the police pension scheme within the last ten years in each force.

Chris Philp: Each Chief Constable is responsible for the administration of the police pension scheme for their force. This includes collecting and holding any data relevant to the running of the scheme.The Home Office works with the Police Pension Scheme Advisory Board and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to understand how forces are managing their pension scheme and how members and officers are using the scheme.

Immigration

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of applicants who have requested indefinite leave to remain in the UK on the grounds of long residency and have been able to access the super priority service between 1 January 2023 and 30 April 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not publish this data in the format requested.

Asylum: Newcastle upon Tyne Central

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people living in Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency are currently awaiting a decision on their claim for refugee status after submitting their asylum application in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022.

Robert Jenrick: This information is not held in a reportable format.

Police: Workplace Pensions

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2023 to Question 186612 on Police: Workplace Pensions, what information she holds on the number of police officers by force who have left the police service for reasons other than retirement.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officers leaving the police service in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. Data on the number of police officers who’ve left the police service, by leaver type, can be accessed in the ‘Police Workforce Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1093591/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-270722.ods. The latest data covers leavers in the year ending March 2022.The next release of the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which will cover leavers in the year ending March 2023, is scheduled for release at 9.30am on Wednesday 26th July.Across England and Wales, we now have 149,572 officers, more than at any time in history and 3,542 more than the previous peak in 2010.

Prisoners: Undocumented Migrants

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of illegal migrants in prisons.

Robert Jenrick: Foreign national offenders (FNOs) should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them and more than 13,000 have been removed between January 2019 and December 2022.We are doing all we can to ensure that FNOs cannot frustrate their removal process through new provisions introduced by the Nationality and Borders Act and the Illegal Migration Bill. The Act makes it easier and quicker to remove FNOs and those with no right to be in the UK. It extends the period an FNO can be removed from prison under the early removal scheme (ERS) from a maximum of 9 months to 12 months, providing the minimum requisite period has been served.The UK and Albania signed a Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Albania in July 2021 which commits that Albanian nationals in prisons in England and Wales serving sentences of 4 years or more will be sent back to serve the remainder of their sentence in Albanian prisons.In May 2023, the UK and Albanian governments agreed a ground-breaking arrangement which builds on this agreement that will see hundreds of Albanian prisoners returned to their home country in exchange for UK support to help modernise the Albanian prison system.

Drugs: Misuse

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs' Part 2 report on Barriers to Research commission, published 12th December 2022, when her Department received a draft copy of the report; when she expects the final document to be published; and for what reasons her Department received an advance draft copy.

Chris Philp: The Home Office has not received an advance draft of the ACMD’s barriers to research – part 2 report. I look forward to receiving the ACMD’s advice on this important topic.

Home Office: Written Questions

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to answer Question 185811 tabled on 18 May by the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office responded to Question 185811 on 13 June:Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.

Migration: Climate Change

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with international organisations on the impact of climate change on levels of migration to the UK.

Robert Jenrick: The UK has been involved in a range of international conversations and discussions around climate change. These include the Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD), International Dialogue on Migration (IDM) and the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF).

Members: Correspondence

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 7 March from the Hon. Member for Belfast South on the provision of childcare for women attending interviews with her Department in Belfast.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office replied on 8 June 2023.

Multiple Occupation: Regulation

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether houses in multiple occupation (HMO) that house a mixture of asylum seekers and non-asylum seekers will be exempt from HMO registration regulations.

Robert Jenrick: The regulations will temporarily exempt HMO properties from licencing which are acquired by the Home Office service providers to house asylum seekers only. These changes will not compromise standards and all properties will be independently inspected for quality to ensure they continue to meet national housing quality requirements. HMO properties used by the Home Office for asylum accommodation are not used to house people who the Home Office does not have a duty to accommodate.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Artificial Intelligence

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government's publication A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published on 29 March 2023, how much and what proportion of the budget of each regulator in their Department was spent on regulation of artificial intelligence in the latest period for which information is available; how many staff in each regulator worked (a) wholly and (b) partly on those issues in the latest period for which information is available; and whether those regulators plan to increase resources for their work on artificial intelligence.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Regulation White Paper emphasised the importance of ensuring that UK regulators and public bodies have the capacity, expertise, and capabilities to implement the Government's pro-innovation approach whilst recognising and understanding the risks.We are continuing to engage with regulators across the wider landscape to understand the organisational capacity needed to regulate AI effectively, which will inform our work to develop policy options.However, due to difficulties in accurately disaggregating 'AI resource', we are not in a position to provide figures on the proportion of budget spent and staff working on AI regulation.

Tourism: Coastal Areas

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what new initiatives her Department plans to make to improve the promotion of tourism in English seaside towns.

Sir John Whittingdale: The UK Government wants to see a growing, dynamic, and sustainable tourism sector reach its full potential and drive growth in every nation and region of the UK, including our seaside towns. Coastal tourism is an important part of the British tourism sector. 10% of all visits to the UK include going to the coast or beaches.VisitBritain has led a number of multi-million pound marketing campaigns that promote the British coastline and seaside towns, and the Government is taking forward recommendations from the Nick de Bois Review of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) with the aim of supporting regional areas, including seaside towns, to better attract and manage tourists. This includes accrediting the highest-performing DMOs throughout 2023 as Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs), and the multi-year government funded tourism pilot in the North East of England.

Public Service Broadcasting: Advertising

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of Ofcom’s proposed revisions to the rules governing the quantity and scheduling of television advertising on public service channels on public service news.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Department has made an assessment of audience support for Ofcom’s proposed revisions to the rules governing the quantity and scheduling of television advertising on public service channels.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of Ofcom’s proposed revisions to rules on the quantity and scheduling of television advertising on public service channels on the (a) number and (b) diversity of television channels.

Sir John Whittingdale: Ofcom has a statutory duty to maintain standards in broadcast advertising, working in a co-regulatory partnership with the Advertising Standards Authority. Ofcom also has general duties under the Communications Act 2003 in relation to audience impact, including the plurality and diversity of television services.This is therefore a matter for Ofcom as the independent regulator that administers the Code on the scheduling of television advertising.Ofcom's consultation on proposed revisions to the rules governing the quantity and scheduling of television advertising on public service broadcasting channels was announced on 19 April and closed on 31 May. In their consultation document, Ofcom set out how it considers its proposals fit with its duties under the Communications Act 2003. Ofcom will publish their final decision after they have considered the responses and evidence, including on the impacts to audiences, as well as Public Service Broadcasters and other broadcasters.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on her Department's performance during May 2023.

Sir John Whittingdale: Occupancy rates averaged 61% in May, and during this period, the performance and regular activity of the Department continued as usual.Occupancy data for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is based upon our Departmental HQ building only and does not capture employees working in our other locations, or remotely. Our data accounts for DCMS staff who have recently joined the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, as a part of the Machinery of Government changes in February 2023, as we remain in the agreed transitional period.

Arts: Exports

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the export opportunities for the creative industries.

Sir John Whittingdale: The UK’s creative industries are world-leading. They generated £108 billion for our economy in 2021 and employ over two million people across the country. But our creative industries also represent a powerful export opportunity, where they accounted for £8.9 billion exports in goods and £41.4 billion in services in 2020.The Government’s Export Strategy sets the goal for the UK to reach £1 trillion in total annual UK exports by the mid-2030s and to boost competitiveness and jobs across the UK. The creative industries are identified as a priority sector to deliver this ambition.Ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business and Trade, alongside industry representatives, attended the Chancellor’s Creative Industries Treasury Connect Conference in May, where discussions included export opportunities for the sector.The Government provides targeted support to boost creative exports through programmes including the £21 million Global Screen Fund, and the Music Exports Growth Scheme. The upcoming publication of the Creative Industries Sector Vision will set out the Government’s approach to creative exports in more detail.

Music Venues

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide further support to (a) Polar Bear in Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency and (b) other grassroots music venues.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government is committed to supporting our grassroots music venues, which are the lifeblood and research and development centres of our world-leading music sector.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in regular discussions with all parts of the music industry, including live venues of all sizes across the country. The department works closely with stakeholders and across Government to ensure the live music sector continues to thrive.The Government has provided significant support to the live music sector. This includes more than £1 million during the pandemic from the Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund, and through the Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund in Arts Council England (ACE). In July 2021, The Polar Bear in Hull was awarded a £31,200 Project Grants through ACE’s Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund. This scheme has been extended until September 2023, and we will continue to engage with the sector on its future.

Music Venues: Subsidies

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a comparative assessment of the impact of levels of public subsidy for (a) contemporary, (b) opera and (c) classical music on music venues.

Sir John Whittingdale: Contemporary, operatic, and classical music venues receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including Arts Council England.Decisions made by the Arts Council about the allocation of funding are taken at arm's length from government. It takes these decisions in line with its ten-year strategy, which sets the direction for all of the art forms and sub-sectors it supports, including opera, contemporary, and classical music. The Arts Council has also commissioned further independent analysis on how to best support opera.Arts Council England produces a robust analysis of its investment, including a breakdown by discipline and geography.

Culture and Tourism: Employment

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote (a) viable, (b) long-term and (c) year-round careers in the heritage and tourism sector to (i) young people and (ii) lifelong learners.

Sir John Whittingdale: The diverse range of jobs in the heritage and tourism sectors can bring fulfilment and enjoyment to those who perform them as well as helping to share our rich heritage and fantastic destinations with the widest possible audience, and preserve them for the benefit of future generations.The Government’s arm’s-length bodies play a valuable role in delivering initiatives and projects to promote and develop sustainable careers in tourism and heritage to both young people and life-long learners.Since 1994, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has invested in a range of projects to develop training and career opportunities in the heritage sector for people of all backgrounds.Historic England’s approach to skills and employability in heritage is a tiered set of initiatives for both young people and lifelong learners. Programmes delivered across these tiers include the Heritage Schools programme, work experience and and T-Level industry placements, and specialist skills development programmes, including developing future leadership capacity within the heritage sector.The Tourism Recovery Plan sets out our ambition for a more productive, innovative, and resilient industry, employing more UK nationals in year-round quality jobs. As part of this, the Government is investing £2.5 billion in the National Skills Fund until 2025 to help people gain skills to improve their job prospects, including in sectors such as hospitality.The Hospitality & Tourism Skills Board will continue to pursue an employer-led, coordinated and proactive approach towards recruitment, retention and upskilling.

Cabinet Office

Crime and Justice Taskforce

Naz Shah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce has met since January 2020; and on what dates those meetings occurred.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the Hon. Member to the list of current Cabinet Committees contained here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-cabinet-committees-system-and-list-of-cabinet-committees, and would also like to refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ107708. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

Cabinet Office: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

Jeremy Quin: Civil Service headquarters occupancy is published weekly on Gov.uk with data going back to February 2022. The data can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-headquarters-occupancy-data Occasional fluctuations in office attendance occur throughout the year, particularly during school holiday periods or as a result of transport disruption, such as rail strikes, are to be expected, but do not prevent civil servants from continuing to deliver vital public services.

Boris Johnson

Karl Turner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral contribution of 23 May 2023, Official Report, vol 733, column 292, what the evidential basis is for his statement that it is a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office during (a) a parliamentary inquiries and (b) privileges committee inquiries of Parliament.

Jeremy Quin: The Prime Minister specifically said “It is actually a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office to deal with matters that relate to their time in office. That has been the practice for many years, as I say, across multiple political Administrations, both Labour and Conservative.” The Privileges Committee inquiry relates to the conduct of the (now former) Prime Minister making statements at the despatch box on behalf of HM Government. There is an established precedent across multiple administrations based on the principle that former Ministers, of all political colours, may be supported with legal representation after they have left office – when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister of the Crown. This has been the case in public inquiries into matters such as BSE, Iraq, Grenfell, Infected Blood, Child Sexual Abuse and Covid. However, the principle is not limited to public inquiries and has been applied in other contexts, for example, litigation. The same principle can also be applied to Parliamentary inquiries, where it relates to one’s conduct as Minister of the Crown. As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper procurement process.

Members: Correspondence

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2023 to Question 161251 on Members: Correspondence, when his Department plans to respond to the letter of 10 January 2023 from the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office does not routinely comment on leaks of government information, but further information on the rules relating to access to government papers by former ministers for the purposes of publishing a memoir are set out in the Ministerial Code at 2.9 and 8.10.

Covid-19 Inquiry: Legal Costs

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of legal fees for judicial review of the notice from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry to his Department under section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005.

Jeremy Quin: The government’s work on the Inquiry requires legal support which departments will procure at their own discretion from approved internal and external sources. The Judicial Review is ongoing, and as such the Cabinet Office does not yet have an estimate of the cost of the judicial review in this case.

Pet Foods: Consumer Prices Index

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data his Department holds on the consumer prices index rate of pet food from (a) March 2022 to March 2023 and (b) April 2022 to April 2023.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon Gentleman's Parliamentary Question of 5 June is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 115.1KB)

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Flats: Fire Prevention

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is planning to provide support to residents who are being required by their insurer to remediate significant building fire safety defects on buildings under 11 meters in height, but whose building developer is rejecting a claim on the basis that the fire risk to individuals was deemed significantly low enough for the building to achieve a B1 EWS1 rating; and if he will make a statement.

Lee Rowley: It is generally accepted that risk to life is proportional to the height of buildings. There is no systemic risk in buildings under 11m, which are very unlikely to need costly remediation to make them safe.Where an external wall assessment carried out in line with guidance from the British Standards Institute (PAS 9980) shows acceptable risk, premiums should reflect that. Insurers should offer affordable premiums and should not be prescribing additional remedial works. My department is engaging with insurers on this matter.

Woking Borough Council: Loans

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Government loans to Woking Borough Council on public finances.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what due diligence has been conducted on loans from the public purse provided to Woking Borough Council as of 7 June 2023.

Lee Rowley: On 25 May 2023, the Secretary of State announced that he had considered that Woking Borough Council had failed in their best value duty. Consequently, the Council has been placed in statutory intervention for a duration of five years. Commissioners have been appointed with powers over key council functions, including finance and commercial activities. On 7 June, the Interim Finance Director of Woking Borough Council issued a notice, as required under section 114 of the Local Government Act 1988, that the Council cannot balance its budget in the current or subsequent financial years. The issuance of such a notice is a local decision.As part of the intervention, the Secretary of State has directed the Council to prepare and agree an Improvement and Recovery Plan to the satisfaction of the Commissioners within six months.The Government is working closely with Woking Borough Council and its Commissioners to monitor, in detail, the Council's future borrowing requirements.

Local Plans: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has had recent discussions with the City of York Council on their Local Plan

Rachel Maclean: DLUHC Officials periodically meet with Officers at numerous councils to discuss progress on Local Plan preparation. Officials last met with officers at the City of York Council on 9 January to discuss progress of the local plan and were in contact on 10 May following the local elections for an update.

Ground Rent

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to abolish ground rents.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 184724 on 19 May 2023.

Planning Permission: Rural Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information her Department holds on how many rural planning applications have been made in the last six months.

Rachel Maclean: The requested information is not held centrally.

Planning: Reform

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will publish a timeframe for consulting on amending the National Planning Policy Framework to include (a) an understanding of local research and development needs and (b) the provision of additional laboratory space.

Rachel Maclean: Last month, government announced that it will consult on adding requirements to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to say that decision makers should pay particular regard to research and development needs, including the need for additional laboratory space, and proactively engage with potential applicants. Government also announced that we will update the Planning Practice Guidance to help local authorities take fuller account of the commercial land needs of businesses and better plan for inward and high value investment. We will work with stakeholders to further understand the changes needed.We will publish a government response to the recent NPPF consultation in due course. As signalled by the consultation a wider review of the NPPF will follow, this will involve further consultation on proposals, enabling those who wish to comment the opportunity to do so.

Renters (Reform) Bill

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with the Leader of the House on the planned timetable for the Renters (Reform) Bill.

Rachel Maclean: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Holiday Accommodation: Council Tax

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has considered the potential merits of giving local authorities powers to apply multiplier rates to council tax for short-term holiday lets.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation entitled Introduction of a use class for short term lets and associated permitted development rights, published on 12 April 2023, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of those proposals on levels of concentration of short-term lets in areas adjacent to areas covered by Permitted Development Rights.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 188330 on 12 June 2023.

Planning Permission

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that retrospective planning applications are not overused.

Rachel Maclean: Retrospective applications must be determined in the same way as any other planning application and there is no guarantee that permission will be granted just because the development has already taken place. We have given local planning authorities the power to decline to determine a retrospective planning application if an enforcement notice has already been issued in relation to any part of the development. We have recently consulted on doubling the fee for retrospective planning applications and an announcement on the outcome will be made in due course.

Local Plans

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department issues to new local authority administrations on (a) amending local plans when they are with inspectors and (b) the frequency with which such plans can be reviewed once they have been agreed.

Rachel Maclean: The Department does not issue any specific guidance to new local authority administrations on amending local plans when they are at examination.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

Dehenna Davison: Occupancy data for the department's headquarters and the latest information for the four-week period ending May 2023 can be found at the following link.

South Tees Mayoral Development Corporation and Teesworks

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much from the public purse the Government has provided to (a) the South Tees Development Corporation and (b) Teesworks Joint Venture as of 7 June 2023.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what set of criteria he plans to use to appoint panellists to the Independent review: Teesworks Joint Venture.

Lee Rowley: On 7 June, the Department published letters appointing three reviewers to the independent review into the South Tees Development Corporation and Teesworks Joint Venture, alongside a copy of the review's terms of reference. This followed my Written Ministerial Statement to the House on 25 May, announcing the review (HCWS813).As set out in Parliament on 7 June, in line with existing practice, we have matched the skills, expertise, and experience of the panel, all of whom have held senior positions in local government, to the specific requirements of the review.Details of the government funding provided to Tees Valley Combined Authority for the development of South Tees Development Corporation site are available on gov.uk. No funding has been provided by the Government to the Teesworks Joint Venture.

Buildings: Safety

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he made of the potential impact of the Government's amendments to the Building Safety Act safety regulation system proposed to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill on (a) the existing Building Safety Regulator’s capacity to recruit and retain high quality leaders and staff prior to its replacement and (b) the risk of a reduced pace of inspection and enforcement action during the transition period.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has consulted (a) the Chief Fire Officers Association and (b) Dame Judith Hackitt on the Government amendments relating to the Building Safety Act and the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the changes to the Building Safety regulatory system in Amendment 467D made to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, whether the duties imposed on the Regulator set out in the Building Safety Act 2002 S21 and S9(1) to (a) report on certain safety-related matters relating to stairs and ramps, disabled persons escape routes and automatic fire suppression systems and (b) establish a statutory Building Regulation Committee will be retained unamended by the successor body.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the government amendments to the Building Safety Act safety regulation system in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill on the duty imposed on the Secretary of State by section 162 of the Building Safety Act 2022 to commission an independent five-yearly review of the regulatory regime; and whether he plans to retain that regulatory regime following the reconfiguration of the Building Safety regulatory system.

Lee Rowley: Government remains committed to the Building Safety Regulator being fully operational by April 2024 in order to deliver its important work. We do not anticipate any impact on current commitments, timelines or other statutory duties of the Building Safety Regulator.

Buildings: Safety

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure an effective and rapid implementation of the Operational Standards Rules for building control authorities published by the Health and Safety Executives and commencing in May 2024.

Lee Rowley: Following the Building Safety Act 2022, responsibility for the implementation of the Operational Standards Rules for building control authorities sits with the Building Safety Regulator in the Health and Safety Executive. The Building Safety Regulator has published the Operational Standards Rules as well as their monitoring arrangements in April 2023. These will be effective from Spring 2024, to coincide with wider changes to the regulation and oversight of the building control profession. The Department continues to work closely with the Building Safety Regulator, CICIAR and the wider sector to ensure a smooth implementation of the new oversight regime.

Community Ownership Fund

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether there is a set amount of match funding needed for charities and organisations to access Community Ownership Fund support.

Dehenna Davison: Information on the fund is set out in the COF prospectus published on GOV.UK.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on her Department's performance during May 2023.

Mark Spencer: Defra and its arm’s-length bodies have always been place-based organisations – our people work in laboratories, depots, quaysides, fields and their homes, not just offices. That means our civil service headquarters is only a fraction of our whole estate with around 5% of our staff based at our HQ building at 2 Marsham Street. So while HQ occupancy for the last year has sat around 55-65% we have not sought to assess its impact on performance at it does not tell the full picture.

Coastal Erosion and Flood Control: Finance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the six year flood and coastal erosion risk management investment programme.

Rebecca Pow: The Government announced in March 2020 that the amount invested in flood and coastal erosion schemes would be doubled £5.2 billion, to build around 2,000 flood defences to better protect communities across England. At the end of the 2022/23 financial year, nearly 60,000 properties have been better protected from flooding through over 200 completed schemes, and around £1.5 billion of funding has been invested.

Recycling: Public Consultation

Kate Kniveton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to publish its response to the Consistency in Household and business recycling in England consultation.

Rebecca Pow: In 2021 we published a second consultation on consistency in household and business recycling in England, including on implementation dates, materials in scope and exemptions. We will publish the response to this consultation shortly.

Restaurants: Recycling

Vicky Ford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing measures to encourage fast food restaurants to use plates or re-usable containers.

Rebecca Pow: From October this year, we will ban the supply of single use plastic plates and cutlery, as well as expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers. Government guidance on the ban makes it clear businesses should prepare by considering reusable alternatives.. The introduction of the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging regulations will encourage businesses to think carefully about how much packaging they use, and to design and use packaging that is easily recyclable. It will also encourage use of reusable and refillable packaging. Re-use has a significant role to play in driving down unnecessary waste. We are working to identify measures that could be used to encourage greater use of reusable packaging, but we haven’t specifically assessed measures targeting non-plastic plates in fast food restaurants. We remain committed to introducing re-use obligations and will bring forward our proposals with the intention of introducing these in 2025.

Microplastics

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle microplastic fibre pollution.

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to limit microplastic pollution caused by textiles.

Rebecca Pow: The Plan for Water outlined our position that we will expect industry to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machine and encourage their effective use. With the plan being published only just last month, we are now considering the best actions for its implementation. As a first step, we will look to manufacturers to reduce costs and to provide appropriate evidence of the value of microfibre filters to persuade consumers to invest in them and use them correctly. Defra funds Textiles 2030, a voluntary initiative with over 110 signatories from the fashion manufacturing industry covering 62% by sales of the UK clothing market. Signatories are committed to circular economy principles such as agreeing good design principles so that their products are durable and recyclable. Our landmark Environment Act 2021 also provides general powers on design standards and requiring information on the resource efficiency of products. We are, therefore, exploring the best mix of policy measures to tackle the environmental impact of textiles. Defra supports a range of research including the UK Water Industry Research project (performed by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) which reported in April 2022 that wastewater treatment plants remove 99% of microplastics by number and 99.5% by mass. The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) includes over £7.39 million of commitment from the water industry to further research microplastics removal through wastewater treatment processes to sludge, which may be a source of microplastics to final effluent discharges. Technical experts from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) have been leading the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment to develop a new indicator for microlitter (including microplastics) in seafloor sediments. This will help us to track progress in reducing plastics in the environment at a regional scale.

Port Infrastructure Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Section 31 Local Authority support for work at ports and borders grant.

Mark Spencer: On a quarterly basis, eligible local authorities respond to a call for bids for the Port Health Authority Transition Fund. Their submissions are assessed by a cross-Defra steering group before being approved and paid in accordance with Section 31, Local Government Act 2003. The Fund enabled local authorities to be ready to implement the planned Border Operating Model in 2022 and is now supporting their operational planning and readiness for the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.

Dogs: Electronic Training Aids

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a licensing or regulatory scheme for trainers to use electric dog collars in specific settings.

Trudy Harrison: A regulatory scheme would fail to offer adequate protection for cats and dogs, given the scope of these devices to cause harm. Additionally, implementing such a scheme would create a significant burden on any body charged with overseeing the use of such devices and ensuring compliance.

Marine Environment

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to restore (a) saltmarshes, (b) native oyster reefs and (c) seagrass meadows in the UK.

Trudy Harrison: The Government recognises that protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing coastal and marine habitats such as saltmarsh, seagrass and native oyster reefs can provide benefits for society, biodiversity and climate adaptation, as well as for carbon sequestration. We are working to protect these habitats, including through the Marine Protected Area network, which already contains the majority of saltmarsh and seagrass habitats in the UK. A number of estuarine and coastal habitat restoration initiatives are also underway including the Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative which aims to reverse centuries of coastal habitat decline by restoring seagrass meadows, saltmarsh and native oyster reefs to bring benefits to people and nature. The Environment Agency’s restoration handbooks and restoration potential maps are also a key tool to support restoration of coastal blue carbon habitats in the UK and beyond. In addition, the Government’s £80 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund has supported a range of nature recovery projects across England, some which have included saltmarsh and seagrass restoration.

River Wye: Phosphates

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department are taking to tackle phosphate pollution in the River Wye.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Welsh government on tackling phosphate pollution in the River Wye.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with the (a) Welsh Government and (b) Natural Resources Wales on their guidance to local authorities on river pollution.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote phosphate stripping technology as a means of reducing the levels of phosphate in the River Wye.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Welsh Government on tackling pollution in the River Wye.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) the Environment Agency and (b) Natural England are reducing phosphate pollution in the River Wye.

Rebecca Pow: Tackling pollution, including phosphorous pollution, is a priority for this government, and we are working closely with the Welsh Government to ensure that this is effectively addressed in the Wye Valley. On 30th May the Secretary of State visited Hereford to discuss the River Wye at a roundtable with Hereford Council, the Welsh Government, local environmental groups and farming representatives. She agreed to consider how national policies and closer co-operation with the Welsh Government could better help local partners to restore the river. The Government’s Plan for Water sets out a range of support to farmers, including those in the Wye, to help them transition to more sustainable agriculture and reduce their pollution. This support includes more than doubling the money for slurry infrastructure to £34 million nationally through our grant scheme to help prevent unnecessary spreading, of which £1.2m has been allocated to farms in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. We intend to adapt the grant offer over time to ensure that any public funding for better manure management supports adoption of storage, processing, and application of manures to aid their responsible management. The offer will also look to promote uptake of innovative treatments that can produce fertilisers from organic materials (including phosphate stripping technology) and circular use of slurry, such as fugitive gas capture for energy and fuel. In addition, our farming schemes are paying farmers for actions that protect our rivers and reduce run off, helping strengthen their role as stewards of the British countryside and rewarding them for work to look after our environment now, and in the long-term.The Environment Agency (EA) is prioritising actions in the River Wye catchment. Around 70% of the excess phosphate comes from agricultural sources and one of the EA’s major focuses has been helping farmers better understand their impacts. We are funding extra Environment Agency (EA) inspectors to visit farms with 80 new officers in place and a significant increase in annual inspections in England to 4,000. The EA has prioritised this funding to focus on high-risk catchments including the Wye. We have doubled the funding for the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) advice programme. This helps farmers reduce water and air pollution through free one to one advice. Approximately fifty per cent of Natural England (NE)’s CSF resource is targeted in the Wye, giving advice to farmers about appropriate manure management and steps to reduce diffuse pollution through options like Countryside Stewardship (CS) Mid-tier. The EA and NE also work in partnership with other partners across the entire Wye catchment. This includes working with communities through a Citizen Science programme, with Avara foods, and others in the food supply chain to find more opportunities for nutrient reduction, and with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. Dwr Cymru Welsh Water are already investing in a number of wastewater treatment works in the Wye catchment to reduce nutrient loads in wastewater by 2025. This includes work to add phosphate strippers and integrated wetlands to wastewater treatment works to reduce the levels of phosphorus in wastewater. Welsh Government guidance to local authorities is a devolved matter for the Welsh Government, but statutory agencies and other organisations are part of a Nutrient Management Board (NMB) that come together to provide oversight and direction to all involved to drive actions to improve water quality in the Wye catchment. Such oversight is critical given the complexity of the issues and how they are all interlink. NE, EA and NRW and other partners are also part of five technical advisory groups for the Wye covering evidence, farm advice, regulation, poultry, and projects and innovation.

Packaging: Recycling

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June to Question 186951 on Packaging: Recycling, how her Department plans to define the lifeofpackaging.

Rebecca Pow: The Department has no plans currently to define the life of packaging.

Flood Control: Private Property

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help improve the quality of flood defences on private land.

Rebecca Pow: The Government expects those responsible for all assets – including risk management authorities, other public and community organisations, the private sector and riparian owners – to invest in ongoing maintenance, ensuring timely repairs where necessary and that they are strengthened to ensure they are climate resilient. Under common law, all asset owners owe a duty of care to others and lead local flood authorities (unitary authorities or county councils) and the Environment Agency have powers to require them to maintain their assets to a suitable standard. The condition of flood defence assets has steadily improved over the last two years and the Environment Agency continues to invest in maintaining and repairing the most critical assets. The Environment Agency routinely inspects 240,000 flood and coastal erosion assets. These inspections include non-Environment Agency assets, known as third party assets, because they provide a flood risk benefit and if they are not maintained to a suitable condition and operated in a timely manner they may risk the performance of the wider flood risk management system as a whole. In some instances, where an asset is owned and maintained by private individuals and does not form part of the Environment Agency’s flood defence system, these will not normally be inspected or maintained by the Environment Agency. The Government has commenced a review of the statutory powers and responsibilities to map, monitor, inspect and maintain all assets across all flood risks and coastal erosion, (including watercourses and riparian landowners’ role and responsibilities). This will aim to ensure that responsibilities are clear and that there are effective powers in place to enable inspection and maintenance to be undertaken. The review will be completed by March 2024.

Birds of Prey: Conservation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle (a) hen harrier and (b) raptor persecution.

Trudy Harrison: Raptor persecution is a national wildlife crime priority and where hen harriers or any other wild birds of prey are killed illegally the full force of the law should apply to any proven perpetrators of the crime. We have significant sanctions for this type of wildlife crime in place which includes an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence. The Government takes wildlife crime seriously. In 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three-year period of 2022-25 to target wildlife crime priorities, in particular crimes against birds of prey. The national Hen Harrier Action Plan sets out what will be done to increase hen harrier populations in England and includes measures to stop illegal persecution. We are committed to securing the future of the hen harrier as a breeding bird in England. We also support the work of the Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group, which brings together police, government and stakeholders from conservation and country sports organisations to tackle raptor persecution and we provide funding to Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) to develop DNA forensic analysis for the police and other organisations investigating crimes against peregrine falcons.

Department for Transport

Active Travel: Levelling Up Fund

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on ensuring that active travel schemes funded through the Levelling Up Fund meet national guidelines.

Jesse Norman: Officials in the Department for Transport and Active Travel England continue to work closely with officials in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to ensure that active travel schemes funded in this way meet the standards outlined in cycle infrastructure design guidance. This is also included as a requirement in local authority grant awards. Active Travel England provides design assurance of Levelling Up Fund bids and will play a role in reviewing all scheme proposals as they develop. It will also work with successful local authorities to accelerate delivery, ensuring high quality, safe active travel infrastructure is built.

Railways: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of passengers who boarded a rail service from a rail station in Enfield North constituency in each of the last 12 months.

Huw Merriman: The Department does not hold records to that level of detail. The Office of Rail and Road produces annual estimates on the number of entries, exits and interchanges at each station across the network. It is expected that they will publish their figures for April 2022 to March 2023 in November of this year, whilst records for the rail year April 2021 to March 2022 and those prior can be found on the ORR website.

Railways: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help improve the punctuality of rail services in Enfield North constituency.

Huw Merriman: The Department monitors punctuality closely and continues to engage with Greater Anglia (GA), Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Network Rail to deliver reliable performance on the network. For the 2022-23 rail year, GA’s On Time performance on the West Anglia Main Line route which serves Enfield North was 82.1 per cent. GTR’s performance was 87.3 per cent at stations in the constituency. Both were above the national average of 67.8 per cent for the same period and I am encouraged by improvements in On Time performance across the network since December 2022.

Cycling

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of meeting his target to increase annual cycling stages to 1.6 billion by 2025.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards meeting its active travel goals was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries. On this particular target, the report noted that although there had been a significant increase of around 45% in the number of stages cycled between 2013 and 2020, further increases were required. The Department will provide an updated assessment in its next report to Parliament in due course.

Active Travel: North of England

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that funding for active travel is not reduced in the north of England.

Jesse Norman: This Government has done more than any other in relation to the promotion of walking and cycling. Around £3 billion is projected to be invested in active travel up to 2025, despite the need for efficiency savings across Government. The Department remains committed to the vision that half of all short journeys will be walked or cycled by 2030. Active Travel England provides funding to local authorities in England outside London, based on common criteria across all regions. These include local authorities’ technical capability to deliver active travel projects, the quality of bids received, deprivation and population levels.

Active Travel: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of funding cuts to active travel on the (a) use of active travel and (b) delivery of climate mitigation measures.

Jesse Norman: This Government has done more than any other in relation to the promotion of walking and cycling. Around £3 billion is projected to be invested in active travel up to 2025, despite the need for efficiency savings across Government. The Department remains committed to the vision that half of all short journeys will be walked or cycled by 2030. The Transport Decarbonisation Plan, published in 2021, set out the emissions savings that active travel could deliver by 2050, as well as its other benefits including for the environment more widely and for health. The Department will continue to act as needed to decarbonise transport, including publishing progress updates and reviewing the pathway at least every five years.

Active Travel: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason his Department has reduced the planned level of funding for active travel in the period to 2025; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing funding for road building measures as an alternative.

Jesse Norman: This Government has done more than any other in relation to the promotion of walking and cycling, and it remains fully committed to the vision that by 2030 half of all journeys in towns and cities are walked or cycled as well as to the objectives outlined in the second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. Around £3 billion is projected to be invested in active travel up to 2025, despite the need for efficiency savings across Government. These were due to global financial pressures, triggered by the impact of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, as well as by supply chain disruption as the global economy recovers from the effects of Covid-19. These factors are affecting all areas of transport spend. However, the Department is managing inflation within the existing budgets by deferring the construction and development of several major schemes, as set out in the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament on 9th March.

Road Traffic

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made on the impact of cars stopping and starting at traffic signals on the level of (a) fuel consumption of and (b) emissions produced by vehicles in the UK.

Mr Richard Holden: The department has not conducted any recent assessment of the impact on (a) fuel consumption and (b) emissions, from vehicles stopping and starting at traffic signals.

Department for Transport: Taiwan

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with representatives of the Government of Taiwan in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but there is a strong, unofficial relationship, based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, underpinned by shared democratic values. The Department for Transport has had discussions with representatives of the Taiwan administration in each of the last 5 years.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation: Charging Points

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including electricity for electric vehicle charging in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

Jesse Norman: The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) is the Government’s core tool for decarbonising liquid and gaseous fuels used in road transport and non-road mobile machinery. The Department is reviewing the impact of the Greenhouse Gas Obligation scheme, which ran from 2018 to 2020, in parallel to the RTFO, and extended to electricity used in road vehicles. The review will be published shortly. As electrification of the road vehicle fleet progresses, the Government continues to keep under review the most appropriate mechanisms for supporting the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. This includes a review of the potential merits of including electricity for electric vehicle charging in the RTFO.

Department for Transport: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

Jesse Norman: Daily average occupancy at the DfT Departmental HQ in London in May 2023 ranged between 63 and 66%. Ministers and senior officials closely monitor occupancy rates and receive regular updates on Departmental performance. Ways of working are kept under review, taking into account a variety of factors including current performance.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that the Local EV Infrastructure fund will be utilised for charging hubs at local authority assets such as libraries and swimming pools.

Jesse Norman: The Local EV Infrastructure Fund is designed to deliver a step change in the deployment of local charging infrastructure across England. Its primary focus is to support households without off-street parking to charge close to their homes, but local authorities have considerable direction in assembling successful bids.

Transport

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to enable (a) local authorities and (b) devolved administrations to contribute to the development of his Department's the priorities for delivering a strategy to meet local transport needs.

Mr Richard Holden: The department regularly engages with English Local Transport Authorities and Local Highways Authorities to inform policy making. This can be through national bodies such as the UTG or ADEPT, or regional bodies such as the Sub-national Transport Bodies. There is also ongoing engagement with officials, including via our Area Leads who are Local Authorities’ key interface with the department. We are also due to shortly publish updated guidance on how LTAs should develop their Local Transport Plans. These plans should set out an area’s strategic approach to their local transport, and will be a key tool in enabling strategic discussions between LTAs and the department. My ministerial colleagues and I also have good relationships with our counterparts in the devolved governments and have held several meetings since our appointment. I attended the Inter-ministerial Group for Transport on Wednesday 24 May, which was chaired by the Welsh Government. The meeting had a productive discussion including on local transport needs, and there was agreement to further collaboration and information sharing between the governments on Active Travel policy. It plans to meet again in September.

Department for Business and Trade

Business: Environment Protection

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of potential greenwashing by businesses in relation to their environmental, social and governance practices.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government recognises the risk that businesses can make unsubstantiated claims in relation to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. In April 2020, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published research, which found that “a high proportion of practitioners in the field of socially responsible investment feel that NFR [non-financial reporting] provided by companies is often an exercise in ‘impressions management’ or ‘greenwashing”.The Green Finance Strategy (March 2023) set out the Government’s approach to regulating ESG disclosures, including through the UK’s adoption of International Sustainability Disclosure Standards.

Deep Sea Mining

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has commissioned an independent assessment of the economic contribution of deep-sea mining.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government commissioned an independent review from the British Geological Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and Heriot-Watt University, to support informed decision making regarding potential future development of mineral resources in the deep sea.Chapter Four of that review addresses Economics, and the full document (published in October 2022) is available here: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/deep-sea-mining-evidence-review-published/

Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the conclusion in the Seventh Report of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee entitled Royal Mail, published on 17 March 2023, HC 1045, that Royal Mail has breached its universal service obligation.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of Royal Mail's performance in meeting its universal service obligation on people who rely on letters to receive (a) health appointment invitations and (b) energy support vouchers.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government’s objective continues to be ensuring the provision of a sustainable, accessible and affordable universal postal service. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification. The Government has no role in Ofcom’s regulatory investigations. On 15 May 2023, Ofcom announced an investigation into Royal Mail’s quality of service performance for 2022-23.

Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme was launched in December 2021 offering grants to support businesses impacted by Omicron variant in hospitality, retail or accommodation. By 31 March 2022, when the scheme closed for applications, £456 million had been reportedly paid to businesses, making up 72% of the total allocation of £635 million provided. Further data on this and other Covid-19 Business Grant schemes has been published here. Ipsos has been commissioned to undertake an evaluation of the Covid-19 business support schemes and we expect publication of their report this summer.

Postage Stamps: Prices

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofcom on the impact of (a) increases in the cost of first class stamps and (b) the difference in price between first and second class stamps on the affordability of the postal service.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government’s objective continues to be ensuring the provision of a sustainable, accessible and affordable universal postal service.  However, as the independent regulator of postal services, regulatory decisions are a matter for Ofcom in which Government is not involved. Ofcom’s regulatory framework imposes price controls, ‘safeguard caps’, on certain second-class products to ensure a basic universal service is available to all at affordable prices.  Ofcom will conduct a public consultation later this year to inform a review of the safeguard caps that should apply from April 2024.

Drugs: India

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if the Government will commission an independent assessment of the potential impact of a UK-India free trade agreement on global access to medicines.

Nigel Huddleston: We have always been clear that the NHS, its services, and the cost of medicines are not on the table in our free trade negotiations. When a signed treaty text is laid in Parliament, it will be accompanied by an Explanatory Memorandum and the Government will publish an independently scrutinised impact assessment. The impact assessment will set out the updated potential long-run impacts of the FTA on UK GDP, sectors, and employment as well as the potential implications for the UK’s nations and English regions. Specific assessments will not be provided on the global impacts for each sector as a result of the deal.

Conditions of Employment

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when her Department plans to publish a response to its consultation entitled Good Work Plan: Proposals to support families, published on 19 July 2019.

Kevin Hollinrake: In 2019, the Government consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay. The Government is currently considering responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.

Royal Mail: Standards

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of Royal Mail failing to meet their USO letter delivery targets on people who rely on letters to receive (a) health appointment invitations and (b) energy support vouchers.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government’s objective continues to be ensuring the provision of a sustainable, accessible and affordable universal postal service. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification. On 15 May 2023, Ofcom announced an investigation into Royal Mail’s quality of service performance for 2022-23.

Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance white paper published in March 2021, what steps her Department is taking to establish the new Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority regulator.

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance white paper published in March 2021, when the new Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority regulator will be established.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government Response to consultation on ‘Restoring Trust in Audit and Corporate Governance’ set out ambitious proposals to improve audit and corporate governance in the UK. Reform is already underway, and the Financial Reporting Council has made significant changes. Some of the Government’s plans, including the creation of the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority, require primary legislation. The Government will legislate when Parliamentary time allows.

Certification Quality Marks

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to take steps to create an expedited process for products with CE marking to receive UK Conformity Assessed marking.

Kevin Hollinrake: In June last year, Government announced a package of measures to help reduce costs and burdens for businesses. One of these measures allows manufactures to use conformity assessment activities undertaken by EU notified bodies before 31st December 2024 to be considered as the basis for UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking until 31 December 2027 or until the expiry of the certificate, whichever is sooner. This enables manufacturers to apply the UKCA mark on these products without the need for re-testing. Government continues to engage with businesses to make placing products on the market and trading as simple as possible, whilst maintaining high standards of safety.

Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when her Department plans to bring forward secondary legislation to implement the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023.

Kevin Hollinrake: We are committed to introducing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay as quickly as possible. Work is ongoing across Government to deliver these new entitlements. Delivery requires a significant amount of secondary legislation which will be brought forward in due course.

Public Houses: Codes of Practice

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she plans to publish the Government's response to the second statutory review of the Pubs Code and the Pubs Code Adjudicator.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including a Guest Beer Agreement similar to that in the Tied Pubs (Scotland) Act 2021 in the Pubs Code for England and Wales.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is currently considering publicly available evidence and the views of stakeholders to inform the second statutory review of the operation of the Pubs Code. As required by the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, a report on the conclusions to the review and whether there should be any revisions to the Code will be published by my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and laid before Parliament as soon as practicable.

Ministry of Justice

Community Orders: Staff

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of Community Payback supervisors employed in each year since 2010.

Damian Hinds: The new unified Probation Service launched in England and Wales in 2021. The Probation Service now has responsibility for unpaid work delivery, which had previously been the responsibility of Community Rehabilitation Companies, as such we do not have staffing data before 2022.Table One: Staff in Post (Headcount and FTE) for HMPPS staff with the job title 'Community Payback Supervisor' NPS.Community Payback Supervisor Band 3Apr-22Apr-23Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)446.4614.0Headcount583757

Sexual Offences: Trials

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many trials for (a) rape and (b) sexual assault have been delayed in each year since 2010.

Edward Argar: We have interpreted your request as being for ineffective trials, which is where the trial does not commence on the due date and requires rescheduling. This could be due to a variety of reasons, such as the absence of a defendant or a witness or adjournment requests from either the prosecution or defence.Data on trial effectiveness is available in the trial effectiveness at the criminal courts tool and is published as part of the Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly release and can be filtered by offence group for adult rape and sexual offences. This can be accessed here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: October to December 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). However, information on ineffective trials broken down by offence are not available prior to 2014.The number of ineffective trial volumes significantly increased in 2022; this was primarily due to the Criminal Bar Association action between April and September 2022.It remains our priority to help deliver swifter access to justice for victims and reduce the Crown Court backlog. We are taking a range of measures to increase capacity in the criminal justice system, including removing the limit of sitting days in the Crown Court for the second financial year in a row.

Non-molestation Orders: Greater Manchester

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many non-molestation orders were breached in (a) Stockport constituency and (b) Greater Manchester in the last three years.

Edward Argar: Information on the number of defendants prosecuted, convicted and sentenced at criminal courts for the offence ‘66.4 Breach of a non-molestation order’, on a principal offence basis, from 2010 to 2022 can be found in the Outcomes by Offence tool: 2022.Geographical area presented in this data tool is by police force area, whereby ‘Greater Manchester’ can be filtered to. This data is not held or published by constituency specifically.

Victim Support Schemes: Offences against Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department provides funding for pre-trial therapy for child victims of (a) sexual abuse and (b) other forms of trauma.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice is more than quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41m in 2009/10.This includes grant funding for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. It is at PCCs’ discretion to allocate this funding for local services, based on their assessment of local need. This will include a range of different services to victims and could include various types of therapeutic support for child victims of sexual abuse and other forms of trauma.Victim support services are available to all victims of crime at any stage, whether or not they have chosen to engage with the criminal justice system.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobcentres: Disability

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to increase the availability of assistive technology in jobcentres.

Guy Opperman: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to PQ 185497 on 24 May.

Pensions: Means-tested Benefits

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits, (b) impact on pension saving and (c) impact on encouraging the economically inactive to return to work of excluding occupational pensions from the assessment of means tested employment benefits.

Guy Opperman: It is entirely appropriate that means-tested benefits take account of occupational pension income. A guiding principle for means-tested benefits is that they are not paid to people who have sufficient other income available to meet the same need. However, this is normally only done where a person has reached the retirement age for the scheme in question. This enables the applicant to maximise their occupational pension in retirement and should not de-incentivise people with health conditions from taking steps to return to work.

Basic Income: Pilot Schemes

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a response toAutonomy’s universal basic income trial when those results are published.

Guy Opperman: No, we do not intend to publish a response.

Workplace Pensions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the flexibility of retirement options for final salary schemes.

Laura Trott: A final salary pension scheme offers members a valuable guarantee of a secure retirement income for life, and will often offer some flexibility to their members, in terms of the shape of benefits and when they are taken. There are routes to transferring out to access further flexibilities, subject, where appropriate, to taking appropriate advice.

Children: Poverty

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of children living in poverty in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

Mims Davies: Latest statistics for the levels of children who are in low income in the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency are published “Children in Low Income Families”, and can be found here. National and regional statistics on the number and percentage of children in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, and can be found here. Due to methodological differences, the figures in these two publications are not comparable.

Travellers: Ethnic Groups

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to collect ethnicity data on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

Mims Davies: The Department follows the Government Statistical Service (GSS) harmonised standard for ethnicity classification. The harmonised standard currently uses the ethnic groups from the 2011 Census but is being reviewed by the GSS harmonisation team who published their initial findings in March 2023.

Low Incomes: Portsmouth

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of trends in the numbers of children living in low-income households in Portsmouth.

Mims Davies: Latest statistics for the levels of children who are in low income in the Portsmouth South constituency and Portsmouth are published “Children in Low Income Families”, and can be found here. National and regional statistics on the number and percentage of children in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, and can be found here. Due to methodological differences, the figures in these two publications are not comparable.

Department for Work and Pensions: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

Mims Davies: The data published by Cabinet Office is for DWP’s London Caxton House building only, and does not cover the Department’s other corporate, or service delivery locations and does not cover employees working in other government buildings or workplaces. The Department does not have data that can provide an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates in Caxton House on DWP’s performance specifically during May 2023. Broader research conducted across the Civil Service has considered the impact of hybrid working on productivity and found that overall productivity is being maintained. We continue to keep hybrid working under review.

Social Security Benefits: Chronic Illnesses

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that people with (a) severe and (b) lifelong conditions are not subjected to unnecessary reassessments for (i) Personal Independence Payments and (ii) other benefits.

Tom Pursglove: We want to reduce unnecessary assessments for people with severe and lifelong health conditions which will not improve. We announced in the ‘Future Support: Health and Disability Green Paper’ that we will test a new Severe Disability Group (SDG), so that those with severe and lifelong conditions can benefit from a simplified process to access PIP, ESA and UC, without needing to go through a face-to-face assessment or frequent reassessments. We will consider the test results once complete to influence thinking on the next stages of this work. We have made changes to help reduce the frequency of repeat assessments some people need to go through on Personal Independence Payment. We have also ensured that people who receive the highest level of support, and whose needs will not improve, together with most people over State Pension age, receive an ongoing award of PIP with a ‘light touch’ review at the 10-year point. For the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), the Severe Conditions Criteria (SCC) were introduced in 2017 and are applied during the WCA for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and the additional health-related amount of Universal Credit (UC). They identify claimants who have severe disabling lifelong conditions whose level of function would always mean that they are unlikely ever to be able to move into work. Claimants who meet the SCC are not routinely reassessed. We are also now supporting people via changes to the Special Rules for End of Life and the testing of a new Severe Disability Group (SDG). These changes will ensure that people receive access to the financial support they need as quickly as possible, and will simplify the assessment process for people with severe and lifelong conditions that will not improve.

Child Trust Fund: Mental Capacity

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using the appointee scheme to support disabled young people who do not have the mental capacity to access the money in their Child Trust Fund accounts.

Tom Pursglove: The DWP appointee system gives access to social security benefits only. It does not give access to monies held in Child Trust Funds. Where the child is incapable of accessing the funds themselves, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides for how a third party can do that on the child’s behalf, namely, through the Court of Protection. There are no current plans to change this approach.

Women and Equalities

Employment: Equality

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent progress she has made in establishing an Inclusion at Work panel.

Maria Caulfield: Work is well underway to establish the Inclusion at Work panel. Pamela Dow, who founded and formerly led the Government Skills Campus, was appointed as Chair in March 2023. Invitations to officially join the panel have now been issued to experts from a range of backgrounds, including academia, business, and human resources. More information about Panel members will be made available in due course. We look forward to the Panel’s first meeting in due course and seeing their work in improving fairness in the workplace develop.

Employment: Equality

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the inclusion at work panel will be established.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how the membership of the inclusion at work panel will be decided.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ensure the inclusion at work panel is representative of workers across the UK.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the budget of the inclusion at work panel will be.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, which Department will oversee the work of the inclusion at work panel.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the remit of the inclusion at work panel will be.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what form the pay transparency pilot will take within the inclusion at work panel.

Maria Caulfield: Membership of the Inclusion at Work Panel is currently being determined by the Minister for Women and Equalities and the Chair of the Panel, Pamela Dow. The broad criteria was set out in Action 69 of Inclusive Britain, specifically that the Panel should be ‘made up of academics and practitioners in business’. Panel members will be appointed on a voluntary basis - these will be unpaid roles. The Equality Hub, based in the Cabinet Office, will provide the Secretariat to the Panel. The Panel’s remit will be to develop and disseminate resources that can help employers achieve fairness and inclusion in the workplace more effectively. They will also develop a new, voluntary, Inclusion Confident Scheme for employers who want to demonstrate their commitment to implementing the most efficacious diversity and inclusion practices. The Panel will also consider how best to take forward the work on pay transparency. This includes whether a pilot is the best way to progress this work and if so, what the timetable for this work would be.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on her Department's performance during May 2023.

Paul Scully: Occupancy data for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is combined with the data for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for those staff previously employed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). This is due to the Machinery of Government changes forming both Departments in February 2023. In May 2023, the occupancy rates for former BEIS headquarters were as follows:Week commencing 01 May 2023Week commencing 08 May 2023Week commencing 15 May 2023Week commencing 22 May 202348%58%66%58% During this period, the performance and regular activity of the Department continued at its usual level.

Artificial Intelligence: Intellectual Property

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has had discussions with the artificial intelligence sector on ensuring that (a) the ingestion of content does not infringe IP rights and (b) companies seek licensing when using licensed material.

Paul Scully: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) speaks to representatives of the artificial intelligence sector on a regular basis. Following the recommendation of the Pro-innovation Regulation of Technologies Review on generative AI, the Intellectual Property Office is working with the artificial intelligence sector and the creative industries to produce a code of practice on AI and copyright. This includes discussions on licensing copyright-protected material and the ingestion of protected content.

Life Sciences: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the £650 million funding for UK life sciences announced on 25 May, what proportion of (a) new and (b) previously announced funding his Department plans to invest outside the Greater South East.

Paul Scully: This funding will be invested across the UK. The call for proposals for the £38m biomanufacturing fund and £250m LIFTS initiative are open UK-wide. In addition: the £154m for UK Biobank will include a new facility in Manchester; £grant awarded to Sterling Pharma will be invested in their Northumberland facility; and around £20 million from the Mental Health Mission will set up demonstrator sites in Liverpool and Birmingham. Funding for skills and regulations will benefit companies across the UK and £121 million for clinical trials will support the delivery of clinical trials across England.

Life Sciences: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which Department will (a) deliver and (b) oversee the £48 million of new money for scientific innovation to prepare for any future health emergencies announced on 25 May.

Paul Scully: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will deliver and oversee the £38m Biomanufacturing Fund that was announced on 25 May, which will distribute grants via a competitive process to incentivise investment in the manufacture of vaccines and biotherapeutics that will improve the UK’s resilience to any future pandemics. InnovateUK will deliver and oversee the further £10m of funding towards innovation in cutting edge medicine manufacturing that can bolster the UK’s health resilience, such as nucleic acid technology and intracellular drug delivery that can help improve vaccines.

Life Sciences: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the £48 million of new money for scientific innovation to prepare for any future health emergencies announced on 25 May, what health emergencies he expects this funding to cover.

Paul Scully: The Government continues to plan and prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios – including those caused by respiratory (influenza and non-influenza), contact and vector-borne pathogens – and building on lessons learned from exercises and incidents, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The £48m of funding announced on 25 May is one of several tools that the Government will use to ensure we have access to the necessary infrastructure, expertise, and capability to prevent and mitigate against future pandemics.

Life Sciences: Apprentices

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the manual Flexible Apprenticeships in the Life Sciences Sector, published on 25 May, how much her Department spent on (a) Departmental staff hours, (b) capital expenditure, (c) outsourcing of related activities and (d) other costs for the creation of the manual.

Paul Scully: The Life Sciences Flexible Apprenticeship Manual was co-developed with the Department for Education and the Life Sciences sector. It sets out how existing flexibilities in apprenticeships can be used and delivered in Life Sciences to meet the needs of employers and apprentices. This manual involved no capital, outsourcing, or other costs beyond officials working with industry partners. This is part of the government’s work to deliver the Life Sciences Vision which commits to increase the uptake of apprentices and use of the apprenticeship levy by the sector.

Broadband: Competition

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she had made of the potential effect of Ofcom's decision on BT and Equinox 2 on competition in the broadband wholesale and consumer markets.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government is committed to supporting competition in the UK’s fixed telecoms market. Our strategy aims to support market entry and expansion by making it as easy and attractive as possible for people to invest in, and build, networks. The Government’s Statement of Strategic Priorities for Ofcom, published in 2019, requires Ofcom to set stable and long-term regulation that incentivises network investment and ensures fair and effective competition between new and existing network operators. Ofcom must take this strategic priority into account when reaching its decisions, such as when considering offers from Openreach.The Government has noted Ofcom’s decision to allow the Equinox II offer to proceed. Ofcom’s conclusion is that Equinox II is consistent with promoting network investment and competition, thereby delivering better consumer outcomes. Regulation of the fixed telecoms market remains a matter for Ofcom which is an independent regulator.More broadly, competition is thriving in UK fixed telecoms, with over 100 companies now building gigabit-capable networks thanks to the Government’s policies to prioritise competition and investment.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

Mr Alister Jack: The work of the Scotland Office is conducted in a number of different locations, be that at our London office; the UKG hub in Edinburgh; or engaging with stakeholders and communities across Scotland. Occupancy data for our London office is not an indicator of departmental performance. You can find out more about the work of the department and our delivery against our Priority Outcomes in our Annual Report.The Scotland Office is committed to fully utilising the benefits of flexible working while ensuring that we use our buildings effectively and maximise the advantages of in-person collaboration. Occupancy data for our London office is published weekly on Gov.UK.It should be noted that hybrid working arrangements are not new and the Scotland Office, like most departments, works on a basis of a ratio of desks to staff. No office will operate at 100% occupancy given there will always be a number of reasons why staff may be out of the office, for example, people being on annual leave, attending meetings off-site or external visits.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Remote Working

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Civil Service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 1 June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of occupancy rates on his Department's performance during May 2023.

Mr Steve Baker: The Northern Ireland Office for some time has offered hybrid working arrangements where possible with a required office attendance of two to three days per week. The published occupancy data is for Departmental HQ buildings only and no inferences about the performance of the wider workforce should be made. The data does not capture employees working in other locations such as other government buildings, other workplaces or working from home. The Northern Ireland Office is keeping its ways of working under review, taking into account a variety of factors including current performance. Hybrid working arrangements are not new and for some time, most departments have worked on a basis of a ratio of desks to staff. No office will operate at 100% occupancy given there will always be a number of reasons why staff may be out of the office, for example, people being on annual leave, attending meetings off-site or external visits.